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The Commonwealth's Environmental Expenditure

Appendix 8 - Australian Heritage and Antarctica

Table A8.1: Australian Heritage and Antarctica - New Measures, Programme and Tax Expenditure Estimates

This table lists activities in the order that they appear in the following text. `na' denotes that spending cannot be precisely identified and it does not mean that spending is not occurring.

Description	1999-00 $m	2000-01 $m	2001-02 $m	2002-03 $m	2003-04 $m
NEW MEASURES
Interim Sydney Harbour Federation Trust	-	-	-	-	-
PROGRAMME AND TAX EXPENDITURE ESTIMATES
National Heritage Activities(a)	7.7	6.9	7.0	7.0	7.0
National Heritage Places Strategy
Australian Heritage Places Inventory
National Historic Agencies Coordination Programme
Commonwealth-owned Heritage
Memoranda of Understanding
Australian Council of National Trusts
State Administration for Cultural Heritage in China
Indigenous Heritage
National Heritage Grants and Programmes
Federation Funding	27.0	13.1	4.9	-	-
Cultural Heritage Projects	0.8	5.9	4.1	-	-
Grants in Aid to National Trusts	0.9	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8
Grants in Aid for Historic Events and Famous People	..	..	..	..	..
Historic Shipwrecks	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4
Norfolk Island Penal Settlement	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4
ATSIC Heritage Protection	3.9	3.6	na	na	na
Committee of Review for Commonwealth-owned Heritage Properties	-	..	..	..	-
Australian Federal Police	na	na	na	na	na
World Heritage
World Heritage Area Management(b)	14.9	15.7	15.7	10.0	10.0
Antarctica
Australian Antarctic Programme(c)	98.0	100.3	102.0	103.6	104.7
Mawson's Huts	na	na	na	na	na
Australian Geological Survey Organisation	na	na	na	na	na

- denotes nil; na denotes not applicable; .. denotes not zero, but rounded to zero

(a) This figure includes items listed under National Heritage Activities.

(b) The figures for 1999-2000 to 2001-02 include monies allocated by the Natural Heritage Trust.

(c) Covers the total cost of operating the Antarctic Programme, which has a major focus on environmental programmes as identified in this appendix.

New Measures

Interim Sydney Harbour Federation Trust
$4.0 million in 2000-01

The Government will establish a Sydney Harbour Federation Trust to manage five sites around Sydney Harbour once the Department of Defence relocates: North Head, Georges Head, Middle Head, Woolwich Dock and Cockatoo Island. The Trust will have ten years to rehabilitate the sites and return them to the people of Australia.

Contact: Environment Australia, Australian and World Heritage Group - 02 6274 2128

National Heritage Activities
$6.9 million in 2000-01

The Commonwealth is working with state, territory and local governments, and the community, to identify and protect Australia's heritage. Australia's heritage comprises natural, historic and indigenous places that have aesthetic, historic, scientific or social significance or other special values for this and future generations.

Website: www.ahc.gov.au
Contact: Australian Heritage Commission - 02 6274 2115

National Heritage Places Strategy

The National Heritage Places Strategy represents a key opportunity to reduce duplication and to organise heritage management in a systematic way in Commonwealth, state, territory and local jurisdictions. The Commonwealth will focus on places of national significance, will increase compliance with state laws, and protect heritage in its own lands and waters. Legislation will be introduced to give effect to a new heritage regime.

Contact: Environment Australia, Australian and World Heritage Group - 02 6274 2115

Australian Heritage Places Inventory

In 1999-2000, the Government, in cooperation with the states and territories, continued to develop the Australian Heritage Places Inventory (AHPI), a central metadata repository on the Internet for all statutory heritage registers. During the year, heritage data from all states were entered in the AHPI and made available on the web for participants to test. In 2000-01, the Government will continue to work with the states to enhance the AHPI. Test work on automatically gathering and importing state heritage data into the AHPI will be carried out.

Contact: Australian Heritage Commission - 02 6274 2119

National Historic Agencies Coordination

The programme aims to develop a more efficient and effective system of national heritage administration. It focusses on the historic environment, is long-term, and encompasses several projects. Achievements include accreditation agreements in assessment and listing procedures with another two states, South Australia and Queensland; developing the Australian Heritage Places Inventory; establishing database links with several states and coordinating the Australian Heritage Websites homepage; and national research and publication projects on Federation sites and the Australian Historic Themes Framework.

Contact: Australian Heritage Commission - 02 6274 2138

Commonwealth-owned Heritage

The Commonwealth will undertake a number of initiatives to improve the management of its own heritage places, for example, the Australian Heritage Commission will provide advice to other departments on management arrangements for their heritage properties.

The Commonwealth, in consultation with the states, is developing a joint protocol on Commonwealth heritage properties. This will establish an agreed framework and process for providing advice on the conservation of Commonwealth heritage properties in cases where disposal or major change is contemplated.

Contact: Environment Australia, Australian and World Heritage Group - 02 6274 2128

Memoranda of Understanding

Australian Council of National Trusts

The Australian Council of National Trusts, Environment Australia and the Australian Heritage Commission signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen working relations in order to promote greater community awareness and protection of Australia's cultural and natural heritage. In 2000-01, the Australian Heritage Commission will continue to work closely with the Australian Council of National Trusts by undertaking joint projects and activities, with the aim of increasing public awareness and appreciation of heritage.

Contact: Australian Heritage Commission - 02 6274 2167

State Administration for Cultural Heritage in China

The Australian Heritage Commission, Environment Australia and the State Administration for Cultural Heritage (China) signed a memorandum of understanding, the first bilateral agreement on cultural heritage cooperation between Australia and China.

The memorandum of understanding identifies exchange of information, research and expertise as areas of cooperation. The State Administration for Cultural Heritage has invited the Australian Heritage Commission to China in 2000-01 to trial the heritage principles that have been developed as part of the memorandum of understanding.

Contact: Australian Heritage Commission - 02 6274 2115

Indigenous Heritage

Environment Australia plays a major role in the protection of indigenous heritage through the administration of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984. This legislation provides for the Minister for the Environment and Heritage to make declarations of protection over significant areas and objects that are under threat of injury or desecration, following the receipt from indigenous people of applications for protection.

Contact: Environment Australia, Australian and World Heritage Group - 02 6274 2123

National Heritage Grants and Programmes

Federation Funding
$13.1 million in 2000-01

The Commonwealth Government is providing $70.4 million for the four-year period from 1998-99 to 2001-02 to fund the Federation Cultural and Heritage Projects Programme. Of this, a total of $9.3 million will go toward heritage conservation and restoration work throughout Australia in 2000-01.

Through the Federation Fund, the Government is providing a further $3.8 million for heritage conservation and restoration of significant heritage buildings and precincts across Australia in 1999-01. Significant funding will also be provided for the decontamination of Cockatoo Island when the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust is legally established.

Contact: Environment Australia, Australian and World Heritage Group - 02 6274 2185
/ 02 6274 2128

Cultural Heritage Projects
$5.9 million in 2000-01

The Cultural Heritage Projects Programme subsumes the Taxation Incentives for Heritage Conservation Scheme and is providing funds of approximately $5.9 million per annum for three years. Commencing in 1999-2000, the programme aims to assist local government, community-based non-profit organisations and private owners of heritage places with heritage conservation projects. The programme encourages and enhances community ownership and responsibility for preservation of Australia's heritage and increases funds available for heritage conservation.

Contact: Environment Australia, Australian and World Heritage Group - 02 6274 2185

Grants in Aid to National Trusts
$0.8 million in 2000-01

The Government is providing grants to support activities that increase public awareness, understanding and appreciation of Australia's cultural heritage. The grants also aim to enhance and promote heritage conservation and assist the national trusts to work for heritage protection.

Contact: Environment Australia, Australian and World Heritage Group - 02 6274 2185

Grants for Commemoration of Historic Events and Famous Persons
$0.02 million in 2000-01

This programme works to commemorate people, events and places of national historical significance.

Contact: Environment Australia, Australian and World Heritage Group - 02 6274 2185

Historic Shipwrecks
$0.4 million in 2000-01

Through the Historic Shipwrecks Programme, the Commonwealth Government, in cooperation with the states, the Northern Territory and Norfolk Island, administers the Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976 to conserve Australia's maritime heritage as a cultural resource of the nation.

Contact: Department of Transport and Regional Services, Regional Support and Self Governing Territories Branch - 02 6274 8091

Norfolk Island Penal Settlement
$0.4 million in 2000-01

The Commonwealth will continue to support the conservation and management of the Kingston and Arthurs Vale Historic Area on Norfolk Island. This area contains one of the finest collections of colonial Georgian buildings in the Commonwealth.

Contact: Environment Australia, Australian and World Heritage Group - 02 6274 2128

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Heritage Protection
$3.6 million in 2000-01

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission addresses heritage and environment issues through a heritage protection programme which provides, where appropriate, for the protection, preservation, acquisition and management of cultural property by the Aboriginal community.

Contact: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission - 02 6121 4601

Committee of Review for Commonwealth-owned Heritage Properties
$0.03 million in 2000-01

This project funds assessments of Defence properties to identify and catalogue heritage values across the Defence estate.

Contact: Defence Estate Organisation - 02 6266 7511

Australian Federal Police

The Australian Federal Police assist other agencies to investigate breaches of the Moveable Cultural Heritage Act 1986.

Contact: Australian Federal Police - 02 6275 7586

World Heritage

World Heritage Area Management
$15.7 million in 2000-01

The World Heritage Management Programme underpins the Commonwealth's cooperative arrangements with the states to ensure that World Heritage property management meets the high standard required. Under the programme, $15.7 million will be provided for priority management projects in 2000-01. Australia will host the World Heritage Committee meeting in Cairns in December 2000. Australia's major regional initiative is to establish an Asia-Pacific Focal Point to promote the World Heritage Convention. Australia currently has a nomination for the Greater Blue Mountains Area, and is developing nominations for a series of convict sites, Purnululu and an extension to the Riversleigh component of the Australian Fossil Mammal Sites.

Website: www.environment.gov.au/heritage/whu/auswha.html
Contact: Environment Australia, Australian and World Heritage Group - 02 6274 2015

Antarctica

Australian Antarctic Programme
$100.3 million in 2000-01

The Australian Antarctic Programme seeks to advance Australia's Antarctic interests by active participation in the Antarctic Treaty System, by conducting Antarctic research and by administering and maintaining Australia's presence in the Antarctic and subantarctic region. The cost of carrying out Australia's programmes in Antarctica will be $100.3 million in 2000-01.

Website: www.antdiv.gov.au
Contact: Australian Antarctic Division - 03 6232 3209

Antarctic Environment Protection

The Australian Antarctic Division administers the Australian Antarctic Territory and the Territory of Heard and McDonald Islands. Effort is aimed primarily at protecting the environment of these places, and includes administering environmental legislation dealing with environmental impact assessment, and measures for the conservation of flora and fauna. This activity is particularly important with the rapid expansion of tourism to Antarctica.

Contact: Australian Antarctic Division - 03 6232 3209

Environmental Management

Three scientific stations are maintained in Antarctica and one on Macquarie Island. Further improvements in energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy are being investigated for these stations. More efficient packaging will be introduced to reduce further the quantity of waste to be returned to Australia for disposal. Particular attention will be paid to cleaning up abandoned station sites at Wilkes in Antarctica and Heard Island.

Contact: Australian Antarctic Division - 03 6232 3209

Research

The Antarctic region significantly influences the world's major environmental systems. Much of Australia's Antarctic research is directed at improving knowledge of these processes, leading to improved predictions of events in global climate change. Substantial research effort is also directed towards protection of the Antarctic environment and protection of the Southern Ocean ecosystems and marine resources.

Contact: Australian Antarctic Division - 03 6232 3209

Illegal Fishing

The Commonwealth Government will continue its vigilance and efforts to protect the Australian fishing zone adjacent to Heard Island from illegal fishing. The Government will also continue its leading role to advance measures within the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources to curb illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing. Such fishing is seriously depleting fish stocks and the methods used kill large numbers of sea birds including endangered species of albatross.

Contact: Australian Antarctic Division - 03 6232 3209

Science Strategic Plan 2000-05

The Government has approved a Science Strategic Plan for the period 2000-05 to ensure the goals it has set for the Australian Antarctic programme are achieved. The plan aims to integrate and focus the work of all agencies and universities that conduct scientific research in Antarctica under Australia's Antarctic Science Programme.

Website: www.antdiv.gov.au/science/green/green_toc.html
Contact: Australian Antarctic Division - 03 6232 3209

Mawson's Huts

The Commonwealth will continue to work closely with the Australian Associated Press Mawson's Huts Foundation on the conservation of Mawson's Huts, including finalising a conservation management plan for this site. The Australian Heritage Commission will continue to provide expert advice to assist the Australian Antarctic Division to protect its heritage resources.

Contact: Australian Heritage Commission - 02 6274 2128

Australian Geological Survey Organisation

The Australian Geological Survey Organisation provides geoscience advice to support land use in, and Australian custodianship of, the Australian Antarctic Territory.

Contacts: Australian Geological Survey Organisation - 02 6249 9282 / 02 6249 9409