NATIONAL TRUST

National Top Ten Our Heritage List for 2007

The National Trust announced the following ten places as the Nation’s most endangered heritage in November 2007:

·        Adelaide Parklands, South Australia

·        Belconnen Naval Transmitting Station, Australian Capital Territory

·        Cameron Offices, Australian Capital Territory

·        Dampier Rock Art, Western Australia

·        Eveleigh Railway Workshops, Redfern, New South Wales

·        Hammerhead Crane, Potts Point, New South Wales

·        HMVS Cerberus, Victoria

·        Holy Trinity Church, Tasmania

·        Northbank Precinct, Brisbane, Queensland

·        Port Adelaide, South Australia

This list represents only a small percentage of the conservation challenges for our heritage throughout Australia. Over 60 places were nominated to the State and Territory Our Heritage at Risk lists announced on World Heritage Day in April 2007. Twenty-four places from the State and Territory lists were nominated to the National list.

While only specific places were selected for the National Top Ten, the nominations illustrated failures in State and Commonwealth heritage legislation to adequately conserve our heritage. These grave concerns form an overarching message and underpin the National Top Ten list. Specifically, these concerns relate to lack of legislative protection for places on Commonwealth Land in the ACT since the repeal of Register of the National Estate and anomalies in the Queensland State legislation, which prevent places listed nationally to be on the State’s register and other issues regarding heritage management at Federal and State levels.

The Our Heritage at Risk program is designed to raise awareness in the Australian community of the threats to our heritage and encourage all levels of government to conserve these places and collections for the future.  The National Top Ten includes natural, indigenous and other cultural heritage, industrial and built heritage at risk from neglect, lack of funding, legislative failures or lack of enforcement, or inappropriate development.

Australian Council of National Trusts notes that inclusion of a place in this National Top Ten List does not necessarily imply a criticism of the owners or agencies responsible for the listed places, many of whom are working actively to find ways of securing the future of the places in question.

Media Release - National Trust Heritage at Risk 2007 Top 10 Announced

Media Contacts for Follow Up