The Queensland Government has announced a new advisory panel will be established to strengthen the state’s heritage register and provide expert advice on heritage places and spaces.
Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon announced on World Heritage Day (April 18) that a panel of specialists would be created consisting of representatives from the Australian Institute of Architects, the National Trust of Australia (Queensland) and local government.
Minister Scanlon said the panel would sit under the Queensland Heritage Council and look at ways to bolster existing legislation and frameworks around protecting heritage places.
“We’re investing close to $1 billion to protect our environment and create jobs, and we’re looking at ways we can protect places with historical significance,” she said.
“Importantly, the panel will be tasked with coming up with ways that our communities can be encouraged to apply more often to have places of historical significance protected on the Queensland Heritage Register.”
Those recommendations are expected to be handed down by the end of 2021.
Minister Scanlon said that a number of locations have already been placed on the Heritage register this year such as the Beuadesert saleyard, Charters Towers City Hall and ‘The Fort’ at Oxley.
“I hope by establishing the panel we can encourage more Queenslanders to consider places of historical significance and how they can be protected through the register,” she said.
“It adds to our ongoing heritage grants program, which offers assistance of up to $40,000 for projects helping to conserve places on our heritage register.”
“World Heritage Day is about celebrating places that have significant cultural heritage and preserving those spaces for generations to come, which is what will be achieved with the panel.”
More information about Queensland heritage is at Heritage places | Environment, land and water | Queensland Government (www.qld.gov.au)