Review of the Heritage of Western Australia Act (1990)
The review of the Heritage of Western Australia Act 1990 is the first major initiative from the State Cultural Heritage Policy.
The Review aims to ensure that any changes to legislation leads to an Act that is:
- Open
- Transparent
- Simple to operate and understand
- Able to reflect best practice in the recognition and protection of heritage places
The first phase of the review, which closed in June last year, involved the release of the Consultation Paper and sought views on the effectiveness of current legislation and what a contemporary Heritage Act should look like.
All the comments received assisted in the development of a Discussion Paper for phase two of the review. The Discussion Paper outlined a series of proposals that might form the basis of a new Heritage Act.
The public was invited to make submissions or participate in an online survey.
In addition, five workshops, including one in Bunbury, were held for heritage owners and community groups, heritage professionals, State Government heritage property owners and local government authorities.
Feedback received from the phase two Discussion Paper has been forwarded to the Heritage Minister and approval will be sought for the preparation of a Green Bill. Once the Green Bill has been released, there will be another opportunity for West Australians to provide additional feedback.
Legislation will then be finalised to embrace contemporary best practice and reflect the expectations and aspirations of the Western Australian community on how the State’s cultural heritage is cared for and administered.
We will keep you updated on the progress of the review.