Heritage Minister Rebecca Vassarotti says she is lobbying for extra resources to support the work of Canberra's heritage system.
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"We're moving through a period in the city's history where the city is changing, it is densifying. But we've got to make sure that we have a fit-for-purpose heritage system," Ms Vassarotti said.
"That will require resourcing it."
Heritage Council chair Duncan Marshall has warned the system requires more resources to avoid the same issues returning that forced the government to dissolve the old council.
"The great problem is that if we don't get more resources, the problems that afflicted the previous council could come back again and we could be back in a muddle again in terms of how the heritage system operates," Mr Marshall told The Canberra Times last week.
Inadequate resources would be a "tragedy" for the system, which needs more staff in the government's heritage unit and greater help to engage with the community and development sectors, he said.
Ms Vassarotti, who dissolved the old council and commissioned a review of the heritage system, said the government had already put in additional resources.
Upgrades to the heritage register and database, which will include better incorporated Aboriginal heritage site information, would be a "painstaking process", she said.
"It won't be quick, but it absolutely means resourcing," Ms Vassarotti said.
Ms Vassarotti said the council's work to compile more comprehensive advice for heritage building owners was also an important element of improving the system.
"A lot of things that people are seeking advice on and require advice on is standard work," she said after an event to unveil a heritage sign in Taglietti Square at the Dickson Shops.
"Whenever I meet someone who is a custodian of a heritage building, or a heritage asset, they really want to do the right thing, so as much advice as [the council] can provide that isn't cumbersome and doesn't create a perception of a hindrance, I think is good for everybody."
The members of the interim heritage council, appointed in April 2023 after the previous council was vacated, will be reappointed for a full term.
Ms Vassarotti in December 2022 dismissed the previous council following a review that found "unprofessional" behaviour and a breakdown in the relationship with heritage unit staff.
A review of the heritage system, commissioned by Ms Vassarotti after the council was dissolved, recommended handing more power to Aboriginal people to determine how their own heritage sites would be protected and boosting resources.
Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
