The ACT Heritage Act requires that the operations of the Act be reviewed after five years of operation. That period finished on 9 March 2010.
In March 2010, the ACT Government released a discussion paper and called for public submissions from interested stakeholders. 39 submissions were received in response to the discussion paper.
Heritage consultant, Mr Duncan Marshall, was engaged to lead the review, to undertake community consultation and to prepare a report. The consultant subsequently held 36 stakeholder meetings and workshops.
The Review Report was released to the public in August 2010 and contains 111 recommendations.
In response to the Review Report, the Heritage Legislation Amendment Bill 2013 was considered by Cabinet on 13 May 2013 and was subsequently presented to the Legislative Assembly on 16 May 2013.
The Bill builds on the framework and achievements of the existing system, and seeks to deliver a more strategic and transparent approach to heritage matters.
The Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development invites the public to comment on the draft Bill by Friday 14 June 2013. The Government will consider any submissions prior to finalising the Bill.
