2. Reviewing a
Heritage Strategy
(and reporting to the Minister)
A guide for
Commonwealth agencies
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provided as a guide only. Agencies should seek their own legal advice on addressing
the requirements of the EPBC Act.
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1.
About this guide
This is a guideline on reviewing a Heritage Strategy, consistent with the
requirements of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999
(EPBC Act), the Australian Government’s pre-eminent environment and
heritage legislation. It provides prompts against each of the requirements of
the Regulations to assist agencies review their Heritage Strategy.
2.
When does a Heritage Strategy need to be reviewed?
Heritage Strategies are required to be reviewed every three years. The EPBC
Act sets out the requirements for conducting a three-yearly review.
Commonwealth agencies must provide a report of their Heritage Strategy
Review to the Environment Minister, the Hon. Peter Garrett AM MP.
3.
What must the report of the review address?
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000
sets out under Reg. 10.03F the matters to be included within the report to
the Minister. The information below is designed to assist you in addressing
those requirements. Your report should focus on:
Consultation
a) an outline of consultation undertaken with relevant stakeholders in
the review process.
 Who are the main stakeholders with an interest in the heritage
sites you own or control?
 How did you inform them about the three-year review?
(eg. correspondence, newsletter, newspaper ad, website
information?)
Summary of Achievements
b) a summary of the agency’s achievements against its objectives for
management of its heritage places.
 What were the objectives outlined in your agency’s Heritage
Strategy for assessment and management of your heritage places?
 Have these been met?
 Is assessment and management of your heritage places working
well or are changes needed?
 Are there particular achievements which the agency is proud of?
 Are there particular circumstances which could have been dealt
with better?
Identification, protection, conservation and presentation of
Commonwealth Heritage values
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c) an evaluation of the success of each of the matters included in a
Commonwealth agency heritage strategy in achieving the
identification, protection, conservation and presentation of
Commonwealth Heritage values.
 Have you undertaken a program to identify any possible
Commonwealth Heritage values of places you own or control?
 Did you meet the timeframes set out in your Heritage Strategy to
do this? Where are you up to? When will it be completed?
 Have you prepared management plans for all your places included
in the Commonwealth Heritage List?
 Have any steps been taken to promote community awareness of
Commonwealth Heritage values of your agency’s properties?
(eg. information on website, at open days)? If not, why not?
Identification and assessment
d) an update on the extent to which the identification and assessment
of Commonwealth Heritage values of all agency property has been
achieved, and the values included in an agency’s heritage places
register.
 Have all places you own or control been assessed for heritage
values? Please discuss.
 Have you commenced and completed a Heritage Register? If not,
why not?
 Are relevant staff members familiar with the Heritage Register
and how it is to be used? If not, why not?
Management Plans
e) an update on the progress and timeliness of the preparation of
management plans for Commonwealth Heritage places.
 Have timeframes for preparation of management plans been met?
 If not, what is the status of preparation of management plans for
your agency’s Commonwealth Heritage places?
Physical and management changes
f) an outline of any physical and management changes that have
occurred to the agency’s Commonwealth Heritage places since the
last strategy was prepared, and of any expected changes.
 Have major changes been made to any of your heritage places?
 Were these undertaken in accordance with a management plan,
with input from a heritage professional, and the EPBC Act?
 Have any of your heritage places been demolished? Was this in
accordance with a management plan, with input from a heritage
professional, and the EPBC Act?
 Have any of your heritage places been divested or sold? Was the
Environment Minister notified?
 Have any of your heritage places been leased to another
organisation, or have any management arrangements changed
since the Strategy was developed?
 Have you acquired or do you control any new places?
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
Are any major physical or management changes expected in the
next three to five years? Include developments, changes of use
and disposals.
Training Programs
g) an update on progress with Commonwealth Heritage training
programs.
 How did your Strategy provide for training of staff about heritage
obligations and best practice heritage management?
 Has the training been implemented?
 Has the training been successful?(are there any examples of how
this has assisted staff or where a lack of training has led to issues
in managing heritage?)
 Are changes needed?
Time-frame for updating Heritage Strategy
h) a specification of the time-frame for updating the Heritage Strategy
following the review.
 Does your Strategy need updating? (has the agency’s name
changed, has it’s responsibilities changed – particularly since the
change in Government, does the budget allocation or area with
primary responsibility for heritage issues need updating, have
assessments been completed and can this schedule be removed,
or do the timeframes need to be adjusted?)
 When will you update the Strategy? (see separate document
Guideline 3: Amending/Replacing a Heritage Strategy for further
information on this process)
Other relevant heritage issues
i) an update on other heritage issues relevant to the agency’s
management of Commonwealth Heritage places in accordance with
the Commonwealth Heritage Management Principles.
 Are there any heritage issues which have been managed
particularly well?
 Are there any heritage issues which have been difficult to
address? What could assist you in managing issues like this in the
future?
If, when conducting a three-yearly review it becomes evident that the
Heritage Strategy requires updating, it should be amended or replaced. The
EPBC Act sets out a process for amending, revoking and replacing a Heritage
Strategy. Separate guidelines are available (Guideline 3: Amending/
Replacing a Heritage Strategy).
4.
Format of the Report
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There is no set format of the Report to the Minister. The report can be as
short or long as necessary to cover the matters to be addressed under the
legislation.
The simplest format would be to use headings consistent with each of the
requirements (outlined above), with discussion underneath each heading.
5.
Further information
If you would like to discuss a heritage strategy review, please contact
us at:
Heritage Division
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
GPO Box 787
CANBERRA ACT 2601
Tel: (02) 6274 1111
Fax: (02) 6274 2092
Email: heritage@environment.gov.au
Web: www.heritage.gov.au
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