Australian Capital Territory

Legislation
Heritage Objects Act 1991.
Land (Planning and Environment) Act 1991

Heritage Council
The Heritage Council advises the Minister on all heritage matters in the ACT including nominations to the Australian Capital Territory Heritage Places Register. However, the Council is responsible for the Register. The Heritage Office, Environment ACT, provides administrative and operational support to this Heritage Council.

Register
Australian Capital Territory Heritage Places Register lists places and objects which have been assessed as having heritage significance, are being assessed or are identified as having possible heritage significance.⁽¹⁾ Anyone can nominate a place or object to the Heritage Places Register.

What is included on the Register
Included on the register are natural, Aboriginal and historic places and objects of cultural heritage. The register can be downloaded at http://www.environment.act.gov.au/ie4/heritage/heritagelist.html.

Criteria for inclusion of a place on the register

• A place which demonstrates a high degree of technical and/or creative achievement, by showing qualities of innovation or departure or representing a new achievement of its time
• A place which exhibits outstanding design or aesthetic qualities valued by the community or a cultural group
• A place which demonstrates a distinctive way of life, taste, tradition, religion, land use, custom, process, design or function which is no longer practised, is in danger of being lost, or is of exceptional interest
• A place which is highly valued by the community or a cultural group for reasons of strong or special religious, spiritual, cultural, educational or social associations
• A place which is the only known or only comparatively intact example of its type
• A place which is a notable example of a class of natural or cultural places or landscapes and which demonstrates the principal characteristics of that class
• A place which has strong or special associations with a person, group, event, development or cultural phase which played a significant part in local or national history
• A place which represents the evolution of a natural landscape, including significant geological features, landforms, biota or natural processes
• A place which is a significant habitat or locality for the life cycle of native species; for rare, endangered or uncommon species; for species at the limits of their natural range; or for district occurrences of species
• A place which demonstrates a likelihood of providing information which will contribute significantly to a wider understanding of natural or cultural history, by virtue of its use as a research site, teaching site, type locality or benchmark site.⁽²⁾

Criteria for inclusion of an object on the register

• An object which demonstrates a high degree of technical and/or creative achievement, by showing qualities of innovation or departure, or representing a new achievement of its time.
• An object which exhibits outstanding design or aesthetic qualities valued by the community or a cultural group.
• An object which is evidence of a distinctive way of life, taste, tradition, religion, land use, custom, process, design or function which is no longer practised, is in danger of being lost, or is of exceptional interest.
• An object which is highly valued by the community or cultural group for reasons of strong or special religious, spiritual, cultural, educational or social associations.
• An object which is the only known or only comparatively intact example of its type.
• An object which is a notable example of a class of objects and which demonstrates the principal characteristics of that class.
• An object which has strong or special associations with a person, group, event, development or cultural phase in local or national history.
• An object which is significant in understanding the evolution of natural landscapes, including significant geological features, landforms, biota, or natural processes.
• An object which has provided, or is likely to provide, information that will contribute significantly to a wider understanding of the natural or cultural history of the ACT by virtue of its value or potential value as evidence or for research or teaching.⁽³⁾

Responsibilities
The Heritage Unit also provides heritage conservation advice, and administers the heritage provisions of the Land (Planning and Environment) Act 1991, which relate to the management of natural, Aboriginal and historic heritage. The Unit assists in the conservation of the Territory’s cultural heritage places and objects to ensure their identification, preservation, protection, maintenance and enhancement (where appropriate) for present and future generations.⁽⁴⁾

Government heritage grant programs
The Unit is also responsible for the administration of the ACT Heritage Grants Program. Any incorporated not-for-profit or private organisation, community group or individual may apply for a grant. A proportion of the funding is designated for Aboriginal heritage projects and the ACT Heritage Festival. Grants are also allocated for conservation management plans for places on the register, heritage tourism, thematic studies, community projects that promote and maintain residential precincts, and educational activities such as workshops, seminars and exhibitions.

Web pages and Territory government agency address
http://www.heritage.gov.au/index-act.html lists the territory government heritage agencies, database, legislation and non-statutory heritage sites with links to them.
http://www.environment.act.gov.au/ie4/heritage/heritage.html gives information on heritage in the ACT.
http://www.environment.act.gov.au/ie4/heritage/heritagelist.html has information on the heritage list.
http://www.environment.act.gov.au/ie4/heritage/heritagegrantsandawards/heritagegrants.html has grants information and includes excellent downloadable information sheets on criteria for heritage places and heritage objects.

For more information write to the Heritage Unit, Environment ACT, Department of Urban Services, PO Box 144, Lyneham ACT 2602 or phone (02) 6207 2161.

Non-statutory registers
National Trust of Australia (ACT) web page is http://www.act.nationaltrust.org.au/ and you can view the Register of Classified Places at 1st Floor, North Building, Civic Square. The Trust seeks to record, protect and conserve the heritage of the ACT and surrounding region and to inform and educate its members and the general public. It works with the ACT Government as a consultant, researching and preparing nominations to the ACT Heritage Register and preparing Conservation and Management Plans. For more information write to PO Box 1144, Civic Square, ACT, 2608, phone (02) 6230 0533 or send an e-mail to info@act.nationaltrust.org.au.

1  http://www.heritage.gov.au/index-act.html
2  Heritage Places Information Sheet.
3  Heritage Object Information Sheet.
4  http://www.heritage.gov.au/ahpi/about.html ACT heritage register.