Tasmania’s pre-election pool of political largesse just keeps getting larger. Indeed, it’s become a veritable lake of monetary promises, almost a sea – all to lure our good citizens into the voting net.
Yet amidst all this tossing out of money left, right and centre, there’s an absentee offering: nothing for our built heritage. I’ve already lamented our pollies neglecting this on their platforms. I do so again. Are they so entranced with dishing out for the here and now that they can’t find cause to help heritage?
Thinking further on this neglect, oversight, disinterest – call it what you will – I wondered why the Bartlett Government hadn’t something to spruik on the hustings about their pending new Historic Cultural Heritage Act. Then again, perhaps they’re a tad embarrassed that completing this is taking so long.
Existing legislation is required to be reviewed and updated after a certain time, but some of it seems to take up an inordinately lengthy review period, as is the case with the Historic Cultural Heritage Act, 1995. The review process for this began in 2003. Heritage consultants Godden Mackay Logan of Sydney were employed by the then Department of Tourism, Parks, Heritage and Arts to do the review and produced a wide-ranging report in August, 2005.
Came September, 2007, and then minister responsible, Paula Wriedt, released as position paper (Managing Our Heritage) supporting a final consultation on the Act’s reform. She said it was at a “critical” stage. She also commented: “Our cultural history and heritage is all around us – we live it every day, but we don’t often reach out and touch it.”
Yet actually touching the new legislation that, hopefully, provides a better deal for heritage preservation is proving more elusive.
Coming under what is the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, involving Heritage Tasmania, the intention was to have the new Act introduced into State Parliament this financial year – they “hoped and anticipated” it would be proclaimed and in force by July 1 (and thereafter would be subjected to a quicker review period of five years later).
Perhaps implementation at due date is now unlikely, given the mention of the legislation in this month’s issue of Heritage News, from Heritage Tasmania. This reported the “preparation of the much anticipated legislative reform project has reached a major and important milestone”.
And this is that local planning authorities, the Local Government Association of Tasmania, and the Tasmanian Heritage Council are “reviewing” the proposed legislative changes to ensure “those bodies with direct responsibility for implementing the legislation have the opportunity to review and comment on the provisions”.
Funny, I would have thought they would have already done so, considering the projected date for it going to State Parliament. But note also: the latest news said nothing about that July 1 date. So a bit further down the track then?
I hear the Liberals are taking some interest in what’s happening, Will Hodgman promising to finalise the legislation (should he win power) and not taking years talking about it. Yet I don’t seem to have heard him putting this pledge out in the broader public domain.
Just to round things off: back in 2008 young Will showed enthusiasm for the idea of a state lottery to fund the saving of our endangered built heritage. The idea withered on the vine. Perhaps he might care to try for a new planting.
The Greens, no doubt, would be supportive. After all, they introduced the idea in the first place.
