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Issues ConditionResponses |
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At a glance The issue Places and features form a part of a cultural landscape, and are an aggregation of objects, archival material, memories and perceptions of contemporary significance. Heritage sites are spatially, temporally and culturally diverse. They could include such places as the Franklin River, the town of Ross, the streetscape of Augusta Road, the Queenstown mines, an East Coast farm, a wharf, an Aboriginal midden, or the Sydney Cove shipwreck. Some important cultural heritage sites are hidden below the ground as sub-surface deposits; some important heritage sites exist only through thought and are without material expression. Any number of diverse places and features-such as Aboriginal middens, historic buildings, or shipwrecks-will form a part of wider landscapes. These places and features provide physical evidence of cultural practices and beliefs, extending from examples of technological standards to symbols of underlying social practices. Clarendon House, for example, in northern Tasmania is part of a 19th century estate landscape. This 'At a glance' section provides an overview of the general progress in managing heritage places and features in Tasmania. More detailed information and references, including the assessment process and it's application to the Macquarie Harbour Penal Station, are contained in the Heritage Places and Features Issue Report. Indicators for assessing the condition and pressures of heritage places and features in Tasmania are currently in development and are provided within the Assessing and Measuring the Current Situation section. An assessment of the places and features associated with the Macquarie Harbour Penal Station is also presented within the section. A separate case study is provided that demonstrates the integrated process of assessing all cultural heritage items associated the Macquarie Harbour Penal Station. Recommendations relevant to heritage places and features are Historic Heritage and Strategic Cultural Heritage Management. Favourable news- Since the last report, the identification and recording of historic heritage places has dramatically increased with the formation of the Tasmanian Heritage Council under the Historic Cultural Heritage Act 1995. Support for the Tasmanian Heritage Council was initially provided by the Tasmanian Heritage Council Secretariat and is now provided by the Department of Tourism, Parks, Heritage and Arts (DTPHA).
- The Tasmanian Heritage Register, under the Historic Cultural Heritage Act 1995, provides a State inventory of significant heritage buildings. The State Government has indicated that continued expansion of the Tasmanian Heritage Register under the Act is a priority action. There were about 5,500 places on the Tasmanian Heritage Register (as of October 2003).
- DTPHA maintains an electronic database for managing historic heritage values on reserve and as a management tool for other Government and non-government agencies dealing with historic heritage values.
- The maritime register has been upgraded and enhanced. This list currently holds information on over 1,000 registered historic sites.
- The Heritage Fund, established under the Tasmanian Historic Cultural Heritage Act 1995, provides a significant resource for the proper care, conservation and maintenance of the community's heritage.
- The Heritage Review 2000 was conducted, providing several recommendations on cultural heritage in Tasmania to the State Government. For example, DTPHA has been requested by Government to link all registers applicable to the State and provide a one-stop-shop for accessing those registers.
- A review of the Tasmanian Historic Cultural Heritage Act 1995 has recently been announced by the State Government. The Act was developed in the early 1990s and was promulgated in 1996. The review is to consider how the Act presently operates and identify any problems there might be in administering the legislation. It will also recommend to the Government what might be done to improve the legislation and its administration. A review committee has been established and its terms of reference defined. These terms of reference include specific reference to consideration of built heritage (item 6).
- A review of the Aboriginal Relics Act 1975 is currently being conducted.
- The Aboriginal Heritage Office now provides a more formal advisory service to State Government agencies, local government and private individuals in relation to Aboriginal cultural heritage issues.
- Some advances have been made in heritage research and audits. Heritage audits of local government areas have been undertaken to identify and include historic heritage sites of significance in planning schemes; studies of heritage themes and coordinated local community involvement in such studies; studies of potential areas of sensitive Aboriginal heritage value; and audits of properties administered by the State with a view to identifying sites of historic heritage significance. The Tasmanian Heritage Council has been undertaking a study of 20th century architecture for the purpose of upgrading the Tasmanian Heritage Register.
- A new strategic and systematic process for the integrated identification and assessment of cultural heritage condition, pressure, and protection priorities-including heritage places and features-is currently being developed by the Tasmanian Government and the University of Tasmania. An Australian Research Council linkage grant has been awarded to the project to trial the methodology of the new system in an assessment of the Willow Court historic precinct (an 18 ha site of Australia's longest continually operating mental institution).
- Archaeological excavations conducted ahead of development activities are now controlled by Practice Note Number 2 issued by the Tasmanian Heritage Council.
Unfavourable news - In contrast to the above progress, less advances have been made in relation to the following: undertaking historical and Aboriginal research into Tasmania's heritage; studies to mitigate any impact on cultural heritage from development; consultation with the community to identify and assess their cultural heritage on an ongoing basis; and research by the Aboriginal community to foster the effective management of their heritage. No coordinated progress has been achieved in the examination of Aboriginal sites, pre-1830s sites, early wooden structures, early industrial sites, transport sites, agricultural sites, and non-located shipwrecks. Whilst considerable effort has been made to ensure consideration of Aboriginal heritage values is linked to the development process-with some notable successes-a formal regulatory link has not been established.
- In the previous report it was noted that only a very small part of Tasmania has been visited and examined for Aboriginal heritage. It is also the case that very little research into Aboriginal heritage has been undertaken in the last five years. The bulk of development continues without due consideration of Aboriginal heritage values.
- Maritime heritage, despite strong national links in conservation and academic arenas, continues to suffer from limited core funding opportunities and a lack of public understanding and awareness. Maritime heritage is more than just shipwrecks-it includes industries such as whaling and sealing, and also involves structures such as jetties and port infrastructure.
- The previous SoE Report identified that the Aboriginal Relics Act 1975 was under review for the third time. Four reviews of the Act have now been undertaken. None of the four reviews have resulted in any changes to legislation. Failure to upgrade the Act and associated management tools, has meant that this area of heritage management remains poorly coordinated and badly integrated with regulatory, financial and planning processes.
- While the State Government is a significant custodian of historic cultural heritage in Tasmania, many agencies within the Government are not fully aware of their heritage property holdings, do not properly maintain those properties, and have limited management strategies for them (Tasmanian Government 2000).
- It has been roughly estimated that $40 million in capital costs and $4 million in annual maintenance needs to be spent on heritage structures in government hands (Cultural Heritage Advisory Group 1996). These figures for capital and maintenance costs are most likely underestimates. Accurate costs for actively managed historic heritage sites on-reserve alone indicate over $1.25 million is needed for cyclical maintenance, over $3.5 million is needed for catch-up maintenance, and over $14.5 million is needed to cover capital conservation and development costs (Cultural Heritage Advisory Group 2003).
- Off-road recreational vehicles cause erosion of coastal dunes, and this in turn can affect Aboriginal sites on the dunes. Coastal Aboriginal heritage sites are being destroyed or irreparably damaged on both public and private land (Cultural Heritage Advisory Group 2003).
- Based on anecdotal evidence, looting continues to be a problem within the industry and archaeological information is also being destroyed by fossickers in their quest for artefacts. However, there is limited information about whether the problem is improving as a result of the range of related initiatives being undertaken by the Tasmanian Heritage Council and DTPHA (e.g. efforts to create a greater awareness of heritage values and to inform people of heritage regulatory controls).
- Progress in determining the location of heritage sites has been hindered by limited coordination of the various registers and lists held by organisations and Government. There is also only limited promotion for the identification and definition of cultural heritage sites throughout the State.
Uncertain news - Knowledge of the location of heritage sites remains limited and fragmented despite progress in the area of historic heritage through the development of the Tasmanian Heritage Register. There remains uncertainty in reporting on conditions, trends and pressures on Tasmania's heritage places and features for the state of the environment. However, proposals to remedy this situation are under investigation.
- While the Heritage Fund provides some financial support to heritage property owners, there is uncertainty in the long-term financial support for the Fund and in the funding processes for heritage properties in major centres (Hobart and Launceston), versus other parts of the State (Tasmanian Government 2000).
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