ELECTION 2022: HERITAGE FOR THE PEOPLE

We propose the following policies and initiatives to restore and strengthen heritage protections, plan better for the future of our heritage, promote strategic investment and put the community at the centre of heritage conservation.

south Australia’s heritage is a unique, priceless and irreplaceable community asset. It generates enormous social, cultural and economic value. For 66 years, The National Trust of south Australia has worked to ensure that our built, cultural and natural heritage is protected, preserved and accessible to all. we advocate for robust heritage protections, forward thinking policy and strategic management of our heritage assets for the benefit of current and future generations. As a communitybased organisation, we champion the role of the public in decision making about our heritage.

over the last four years, our heritage protection system has been undermined by new planning rules, the community’s participation in decision making has been curtailed and significant public heritage places have been lost or put at risk.

Restoring and strengthening heritage protections

South Australia’s heritage protection system has been seriously damaged by recent policy and legislative changes, in particular, the State Government’s Planning and Design Code introduced in 2021. 50 years of work to protect South Australia’s built heritage has been undermined by the removal and weakening of protections for heritage places and areas. Despite overwhelming community opposition to policy changes that had protected our heritage places, the government proceeded with a systematic weakening of heritage protections and a dramatic curtailment of public rights within the planning system. From being a national leader in heritage protection South Australia now has arguably the weakest heritage protections in Australia. There is an urgent need to address the damage and to restore and make robust long established heritage protections. Heritage protection in South Australia needs to be strengthened and simplified through:

Heritage policy and legislation

• Including all heritage matters under a single Heritage Act. • Establishing a single integrated statutory body to handle all heritage matters. • Management of heritage protection independently of the planning system. • Reviewing the role, governance and management of the State Heritage

Council. • Implementing the recommendations of the Environment, Resources and

Development Committee report on heritage (2019).

Simplifying heritage listing

• Establishing an integrated single heritage register covering all listings, managed by an independent statutory body. • Retention of all current listings, including heritage protection zones and contributory items. • Streamlining of listing criteria whilst having regard for local characteristics. • Simplified and streamlined process for new listings which includes mandatory timeframes for listing (with automatic listing if timeframes are not met) and gazettal of approved listings. • Removal of legislative requirement for property owners to vote for establishment of heritage conservation zones. • Establishing transparency and community participation in listing decisions.

Regulating development of heritage listed places

• Classification of applications for demolition of listed buildings as noncomplying and automatic rejection if the building has been neglected intentionally. • Minor works on heritage listed places exempted from planning approval in well defined circumstances. • Mandating of a Heritage Code of Practice for adaptation of heritage buildings. • Increased penalties for neglect of heritage listed structures.

Protecting special places

• Legislation to place Ayers House in the permanent care and control of the

National Trust. • Protecting the Adelaide Park Lands as public open space through comprehensive statutory protection, including State Heritage listing. • Pursuing national heritage listing for Ayers House, Edmund Wright House,

Fort Largs and Martindale Hall. • Statutory protections to restrict the commercial use of protected natural areas.

Planning for the future

Sustaining our heritage into the future requires attention to long term challenges and risks, in particular those associated with climate change. There is a pressing need to establish and meet and emission reduction targets and to pursue long term thinking in planning for and mitigating the effects of climate change.

Setting a target for emissions

• Commit to a net zero emissions target by 2035.

50 year plan

• Adopt the recommendations from the National Trust’s 50 Year Plan for

Metropolitan Adelaide.

Trees

• Commit to law reform to protect our urban tree canopy as outlined in the 2021 Call to Action Report of South

Austrailan environmental NGOs. • Bringing South Australia into line with similar jurisdictions in Victoria and New

South Wales by changing the definition of a Regulated tree to one that: • has a trunk circumference of 1m or more measured 1m above the ground, or • has a height of 6m or more, or • has canopy of over 9m2 . • Removing the series of exemptions to planning regulations introduced in 2011 that allow the removal of mature trees without approval, including the 10m rule and the 20m rule. • Restoring the requirement for the

Department of Infrastructure and

Transport and the Department for

Education to conduct consultation and seek planning approval before the removal of regulated and significant trees. • Increasing offset scheme fees to match the costs that are consequently passed on to Councils to plant, establish and maintain replacement trees, and • Increasing the number and size of trees required by the Planning and

Design Code to be planted in new developments.

Growing Investment

There is much evidence that private and public investment in heritage assets generates significant direct and indirect returns. South Australia’s built heritage has experienced insufficient investment due to outdated regulation, a lack of incentives for private owners and inadequate government leadership and investment. The National Trust believes investment in maximising the value of our heritage assets can be achieved by:

Managing government-owned heritage assets more strategically and efficiently

• Reviewing the management and use of State Government-owned heritage assets. • Adopting a strategic approach to investment in and utilisation of government-owned heritage assets. • Providing leadership to local government on effective protection, conservation and utilisation of heritage assets.

Promoting private investment through incentives and support for private owners of heritage places

• Providing incentives to assist heritage building owners to conserve their properties. • Improving availability of heritage grants, expert advice and specialist skills. • Flexibility in decisions on land use and land division to assist conservation. • Flexible application of building regulations for adaptation of heritage places. • Promoting rate rebate programs and other fee and tax concessions for private owners.

Working with local government and non-government organisations to co-invest in South Australia’s heritage assets

• Establishing a rolling investment fund for publicly owned heritage assets in regional South Australia. • Supporting heritage advisory services for home owners through local government and the National Trust. • Supporting heritage skills trade training through the Australian Artisan Trades

Academy.

Recognising and supporting heritage tourism

• Demonstrating the value of investment in heritage assets as drivers of economic growth and social benefits, particularly in regional areas. • Developing investment cases for key heritage assets such as Martindale Hall.

Investing in nature conservation

• Increase investment in private and community nature conservation works through grants and heritage agreements.

Community Participation

Communities across South Australia have a strong, long standing commitment to the preservation of our heritage. In many places, non-government organisations like the National Trust have taken a leading role in advocating for, protecting and conserving the state’s heritage. Local heritage is what is valued by local people and is best identified and managed within local communities. Heritage conservation activities generate and circulate community social capital. Recent changes to planning laws have aimed to remove local communities and individuals from many of the decisions that affect heritage conservation. Instead of excluding communities from decisions about our heritage, we need to extend community participation and engagement to maximise the social, cultural economic and environmental benefits of recognising and caring for our heritage. We need to find new ways for individuals and communities to be involved in heritage conservation and to restore community rights in respect to planning decisions which affect heritage places.

Restoring the role of local communities in local heritage listing and management

• Increasing community participation in the decision-making process through an open public nomination system for local heritage listing. • Greater transparency in decision making through the provision of reasons for listing or non-listing. • Introducing third party appeal rights in relation to local heritage listing decisions. • Resourcing local heritage surveys and management plans for local councils that have not completed them. • Restricting ministerial powers to remove or disallow heritage listings.

Reinstating citizen and community rights in planning and development decisions

• Amending the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 to restore lost community consultation and appeal rights within the planning system in the assessment of development proposals.

Working with the National Trust to maximise community participation

The National Trust is the State’s leading non-government heritage conservation organisation, with more than 6 000 members and volunteers across the State. For sixty years the Trust has played a leading role in preserving South Australia’s heritage. It manages 125 built and natural heritage places across the State and has, in the past three years, raised more than $3m for heritage conservation projects in South Australia through the South Australian Heritage Foundation. The Trust plays a valuable role in property management, community engagement, fundraising and skills training. We propose the following ways for the Trust to extend its work for the state’s heritage: • Entrusting the management/ownership of the following publicly owned heritage places to the National Trust: • Ayers House • Martindale Hall • All Crown Land properties that have been managed and maintained by the Trust for decades.

Fundraising

• Utilising tax deductible conservation fundraising appeals through the South

Australian Heritage Foundation for public buildings owned by state and local government.

Skills training

• Leading heritage trade training in the state through the Australian Artisan

Trades Academy.

Protecting our natural heritage

• Supporting volunteers and community organisations to deliver environmental conservation programs by increasing

State funding for on ground conservation works by community organisations.