FAHS heritage handbook: Victoria

Victoria

Legislation
Heritage Act 1995
Archaeological and Aboriginal Relics Preservation Act 1972

Heritage Council
Heritage Council Victoria, an independent statutory body, is the primary authority for heritage decision-making and responsible for deciding which places and objects are added to the Victorian Heritage Register. The 10 members receive professional advice from Heritage Victoria, Department of Infrastructure.⁽¹⁾

Register
The Victorian Heritage Register lists the state’s most significant historic places, objects and shipwrecks.⁽²⁾ Under the Heritage Act, ‘place’ includes buildings, gardens, trees, archaeological sites, shipwrecks, precincts and land. ‘Object’ includes building contents, archaeological artefacts and relics associated with places that have state significance.⁽³⁾

The Heritage Inventory is a list of all known historical archaeological sites in Victoria. Historical archaeological artefacts are also protected by law. Even loose bits of glass and crockery are protected. Heritage Vic maintains a large collection of shipwreck and land archaeological relicts.⁽⁴⁾

What is included on the Register
The register includes buildings, places, objects, cemeteries, precincts, shipwrecks and historical archaeological sites.

The Victorian Heritage Register Online can be searched at http://ndoiext01.doi.vic.gov.au/doi/hvolr.nsf. If a place is on the Heritage Register it will have a VHR number while a HI number identifies places on the Inventory.⁽⁵⁾

Anyone can nominate a place to the Heritage Register, but to be successful nominations must address the criteria for assessment of cultural heritage significance adopted by the Heritage Council.

Criteria for inclusion on the register
A: The historical importance, association with or relationship to Victoria’s history of the place or object
B: The importance of a place or object in demonstrating rarity or uniqueness
C: The place or object’s potential to educate, illustrate or provide further scientific investigation in relation to Victoria’s cultural heritage
D: The importance of a place or object in exhibiting the principal characteristics or the representative nature of a place or object as part of a class or type of places or objects
E: The importance of the place or object in exhibiting good design or aesthetic characteristics and/or in exhibiting a richness, diversity or unusual integration of features
F: The importance of the place or object in demonstrating or being associated with scientific or technical innovations or achievements
G: The importance of the place or object in demonstrating social or cultural associations
H: Any other matter which the Council considers relevant to the determination of cultural heritage significance.⁽⁶⁾

Responsibilities
Heritage Victoria provides support to the Heritage Council Victoria, maintains the Heritage Register and provides heritage advice within a range of departmental programs, including historical and maritime archaeology programs.⁽⁷⁾ Heritage Victoria deals with all sorts of places, whether they’re privately or government-owned.⁽⁸⁾

Heritage Victoria is also responsible for protecting Victoria’s archaeological heritage and managing historic shipwrecks and relics, providing educational services, resources and support for heritage related projects and liaising with local government in support of local heritage.⁽⁹⁾

Government heritage grant programs
The Public Heritage Program assists state and local government agencies to identify, maintain, promote and capitalise on heritage assets in both private and public ownership.⁽¹⁰⁾ The Program also assists with funds for the repair, restoration and refurbishment of important historic places and assists with the identification and assessment of heritage places. Under the scheme local governments can apply for funds for heritage surveys and grants to assist with engaging a heritage advisor. Community not-for-profit organisations, such as Historical Societies, in association with their local government body may apply for capital works funding for places listed by the state or under the local authorities planning scheme or places that will be listed.⁽¹¹⁾

Web page(s) and state government agency address
http://www.heritage.gov.au/index-vic.html lists state government heritage agencies, database, legislation and non-statutory heritage sites with links to them.
http://www.doi.vic.gov.au/heritage/ is most useful with its links to the register database, Public Heritage Program and information on grants, and Financial assistance which provides data for owners of listed places.
http://www.heritage.vic.gov.au/ is the home page for Heritage Victoria. It has useful web pages on Shipwrecks, Gardens, Archaeology and Buildings. Heritage technical notes has an index to useful information. If you click on How do I? then nominate a place you will arrive at a web page with guidelines on how to fill out a nomination, what is meant by history, description and the statement of cultural heritage significance.

For more information write to the Heritage Council of Victoria, PO Box 2797Y, Melbourne Vic 3001 or telephone (03) 9655 6519.

Other statutory listings
Local government authorities protect local buildings and places of local historic significance by identifying them in local planning schemes.⁽¹²⁾ If a site is not of ‘state significance’, then it won’t get onto the Heritage Register. However, if it is of local significance then local government authorities have powers to protect it through their planning schemes as councils have a responsibility in law to use their planning schemes to conserve and enhance those places of scientific, aesthetic, architectural, historical or cultural value. Planning approvals are required before some changes, and for removal of trees or demolishing of a local heritage place.⁽¹³⁾

Aboriginal sites are handled by Aboriginal Affairs Victoria which is part of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment.⁽¹⁴⁾ Within this Department is Aboriginal Affairs Victoria and its Heritage Services Branch is responsible for management of Victoria’s significant Aboriginal cultural heritage and administering relevant state and commonwealth cultural heritage legislation. For assistance write to Aboriginal Affairs Victoria, PO Box 515, East Melbourne Vic 3002or ring (03) 9637 8000.⁽¹⁵⁾

Non-statutory registers
National Trust of Australia (Vic) web page is http://www.nattrust.com.au and the register can be searched on line at http://www.nattrust.com.au/register/quicksearch.cfm. For information you can write to 4 Parliament Place, Melbourne VIC 3000 ring the Trust by dialling (03) 9654 4711 or send an e-mail to info@nattrust.com.au.

http://www.artdeco.org.au/ is the Art Deco Society Inc web page. The Society is actively involved in preservation of Art Deco buildings including listing buildings with the National Trust and Heritage Victoria.

Other agencies and grants
Check with your local government authority for community grants, other relevant funding and what helpful publications they might have.

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