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Indicator: NCH-11 Funds provided to heritage and other agencies for Indigenous heritage places

Data

Funding for protected areas including World Heritage properties may be seen as a broad surrogate for funding for Indigenous heritage more broadly. NHT funding for World Heritage Management 1996-97 to 2003-04 was $94.7 million of which more than two thirds went to two properties - Wet Tropics and Tasmanian Wilderness. Funding for the four World Heritage properties managed by Australian Government agencies (Great Barrier Reef, Kakadu National Park, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and Heard and McDonald Islands) comprised about 89% of the total Commonwealth budget for World Heritage properties management.

Australian Government funding for National and Marine Parks
managed by the Australian Government and which are on the World Heritage List
1994-95 to 2003-04
(Includes funding from all Commonwealth sources (NHT, Bill 1, Bill 2))

	1994-95	1995-96	1996-97	1997-98	1998-99	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04
Great Barrier Reef							20855000	26501277	25323102	24117000
Heard and McDonald Islands 1							127000	55000	55000	230000
Kakadu National Park 2	9907260	8204614A	7080080	7229856	13638539B	10595882B	16598000	18947000	20383000	19192000
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park 3	4855419	4064999A	2119241	1831210	3572810B	3986287B	15109000	17014000	14213000	15195000
All Properties	14762679	12269613	9199321	9061066	17211349	14582169	52689000	62517277	59974102	58734000

1 - The funding figures for Heard and McDonald Islands do not include the costs of expeditions to the area, which are planned to take place at approximately three-yearly intervals.
A - Includes additional capital works for Cultural Centres
B - includes additional capital works on visitor infrastructure because of Sydney Olympic Games
* places listed for both natural and cultural (Indigenous world heritage values)

The funding listed for the four World Heritage properties managed by Australian Government agencies (Great Barrier Reef, Kakadu National Park, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and Heard and McDonald Islands) comprises the total management budgets for each of the properties not just the component for World Heritage funding.

* Total figures for Kakadu and Uluru - Kata Tjut a prior to 2000-01 include the administrative costs of Parks Australia North's Darwin Office.
The annual figures for Kakadu from 1996-97 until 1999-00 are inclusive of funding to the Supervising Scientist Division.

Source: Department of the Environment and Heritage, 2005

Australian Government Funding for World Heritage Properties managed by State/Territory Governments
1994-95 to 2004-05
(Includes funding from all Commonwealth sources (NHT, Bill 1, Bill 2))

PROPERTY	1994-95	1995-96	1996-97	1997-98	1998-99	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05
Australian Fossil Mammal Sites	303189	185000	415000	712000	59300	812913	359000	413500	20000	174000	295600
Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves (Australia)	360000	175000	280000	1319000	1385000	732000	744000	370510	30000	174000	261000
Fraser Island	300700	317150	700000	950000	70000	662500	451000	700000	8000	42500	427000
Greater Blue Mountains							1041275	100000	43000	132194	131872
Lord Howe Island	234114	60000	360000	435925	484500	453400	268000	341000		95880	160997
Macquarie Island 1							30000
Shark Bay	210000	169000	491630	674480	534350	490250	389850	1200796		51500	208200
Tasmanian Wilderness*	5101000	5117000	5260000	7350000	7005000	5770000	5880000	6430000	4300000	3462000	3513500
Wet Tropics	6195000	4060000	4689000	5376000	3446000	3752500	3388325	3740000	2690000	2754500	2913500
Willandra Lakes*	420245	122375	2510000	2497329	848850	340000	261500	245000	19000	218560	271000
Purnululu										80800	228200
All properties	13124248	10205525	14705630	19314734	14367200	13013563	12812950	14140806	7110000	7185934	8410869

* places listed for both natural and cultural (Indigenous world heritage values)

1 - These funds have not been expended and are due to be returned to the Australian Government.

The funding listed for State-managed properties (eleven World Heritage areas) listed here comprises monies from the World Heritage section of the National component of the Natural Heritage Trust as well as that from the Australian Government appropriations.

Source: Department of the Environment and Heritage, 2005

What the data mean

The data is not complete, not all having been collected. It should be noted that level of funding provided does not give any indication of whether the funding is adequate or if it is being spent effectively and efficiently. It gives no indication of the level of funding provided to involve and provide adequate resources for Indigenous groups in the care of their heritage.

Most states / territories have separate agencies to identify and protect Indigenous heritage places, including extensive site inventories of all recorded Indigenous archaeological sites, with some provision to protect places of Indigenous spiritual significance. In some of these states / territories, historic heritage legislation has broadened to include Indigenous heritage places. Not all the data about these different sources of funding for Indigenous heritage places has been collected.

Funding allocated by land management agencies for Indigenous heritage is not included.

Issues for which this is an indicator and why

• Natural and Cultural Heritage — Responses to conserve heritage - Funding for heritage 

Governmental responses to conserve identified heritage places and items are a reflection of the relative importance society places in conserving these for the benefit of future generations. Governments respond to conserving heritage places and items are through legislation and funding to implement management regimes. This indicator provides a measure of the extent of response to protecting and maintaining heritage values in a range of Indigenous heritage.

Other indicators for this issue:

• NCH-09 Funding provided to heritage and other agencies for natural heritage places 
• NCH-10 Funding provided to heritage and other agencies for historic heritage places 
• NCH-12 Funding provided to heritage and other agencies for heritage collections