A guide to heritage listing in Australia 

Thresholds for different levels of heritage listing 
This guide outlines how the different levels of heritage listing in 
Australia - world, national, state/territory and local are determined. 
At the highest level are places on the World Heritage List like Kakadu 
National Park and the Sydney Opera House, while on a local heritage 
list there might be a nature reserve or the local Post Office. 
While all of these places are important, the Australian, state and 
territory and local government heritage systems distinguish between 
these levels for legal and practical reasons. 
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 A guide to heritage listing in Australia 
Thresholds for different levels of heritage 
How heritage lists work 
There are many heritage lists in Australia, and they can have 
different names - like register or inventory. Some are kept by 
the different levels of government while others are maintained 
by community or professional organisations. The main ones are 
Australia's World Heritage List; National and Commonwealth 
Heritage Lists; State and Territory heritage registers; and local 
government lists, which are integrated into planning systems. 
In addition, community and professional organisations maintain 
lists, including those kept by the National Trusts in most states 
and territories; the Royal Australian Institute of Architects; and 
Engineering Heritage Australia. These lists recognise special places 
but do not provide legal protection. 
Listing arrangements vary, some lists deal with all types of places, 
and some also deal with objects (eg documents or paintings). 
However, others only address one type of heritage, usually historic 
places. In some states, territories and local government areas there 
are no lists for natural and Indigenous heritage places. 
Natural heritage is generally identified and protected through 
national or state/territory parks. 
Many Indigenous heritage places are protected by specific state or 
territory legislation. Rather than relying on lists, this legislation 
provides blanket protection for types of places whether they have 
been formally identified or not. Individual places may also be 
listed, for example in those cases where a place may be affected 
by development. 

Criteria and thresholds 
The key question in assessing any place is 'does it have sufficient 
heritage value to be put on the list?' Not every place has heritage 
value, and not every place with heritage value has sufficient value 
to meet the threshold justifying inclusion on a particular list. 
Criteria and thresholds are key tools used to help decide these 
questions. Criteria are a collection of principles, characteristics 
and categories used to help decide if a place has heritage value. 
While there are some minor differences in the wording of the 
statutory criteria used by jurisdictions, the Commonwealth/States 
and Territories have endorsed the following standard criteria, and 
agreed to move towards their adoption. 
Model criteria for identifying heritage places 
Criteria for identifying heritage significance taking into 
account aesthetic, historic, scientific, social or other special 
values to all generations. 
•   Importance to the course, or pattern, of our cultural or 
natural history. 
•   Possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of 
our cultural or natural history. 
•   Potential to yield information that will contribute to an 
understanding of our cultural or natural history. 
•   Importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics 
of a class of cultural or natural places or environments. 
•   Importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics. 
•   Importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or 
technical achievement at a particular period. 
•   Strong or special association with a particular community 
or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. 
This includes the significance of a place to Indigenous 
peoples as part of their continuing and developing 
cultural traditions. 
•   Special association with the life or works of a person, 
or group of persons, of importance in our history. 
One or more of these criteria might apply to a place being 
considered for listing. Information to assist the use of heritage 
criteria includes the Guidelines for the Assessment of Places for 
the National Heritage List, available at www.environment.gov. 
au/heritage/ahc/publications. 
In addition to criteria, there is also a question of the threshold 
of significance required to achieve heritage listing - does it have 
sufficient value to justify listing and therefore protection by 
government? For example, a suburban hotel may be of historic 
significance to the local area and have interesting architecture, 
and the level of value might justify local listing. However, it may 
not have the very high level of value required for State/Territory, 
National, or World Heritage listing. 
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herit 

 Australian Scenics 
Applying to list a heritage place 
This usually involves making a formal application or nomination 
to the agency which manages the list (see contact information on 
the back page). Often there is a standard form to complete and 
specific information to provide. Local government heritage lists 
are usually managed differently to national, state and territory 
government heritage lists because they are part of land use or 
planning systems, so it is best to contact them directly. 

Implications of heritage listing 
This varies between governments. Generally, heritage listing 
provides protection for the place - focused on its heritage values 
or significance. Development or planning approval processes take 
account of the listing. In some cases, owners may also be eligible 
for financial or other conservation assistance. 
A list of heritage agencies and their websites and contact 
details are on the back page - they will be happy to help 
with any questions. 
Roles and responsibilities - the different 
levels of government 
All three levels of government - Australian (or Commonwealth), 
state and territory, and local - have a role in identifying and 
protecting heritage places. Some places can be important at more 
than one level (eg the Great Barrier Reef). In such cases, the place 
may be on more than one list and several levels of government 
may share responsibility for it. 
This division of responsibility partly reflects the Australian 
Constitution and also an agreement made between all 
governments to rationalise responsibility for heritage. The role of 
governments in protecting places is undertaken in various ways. 
For example, the Australian and state and territory governments 
use legislation to protect heritage places from impacts, while local 
governments use planning schemes and instruments. 
NSW Heritage Branch, Department of Planning 
J. McKinnon/DEWHA 
age listing 
3 

 LeveL of 
government 
Heritage 
responsibiLity 

World Heritage 
These places have outstanding 
universal values above and 
beyond the values they hold for 
a particular nation. For example, 
the Great Barrier Reef. 
austraLian / 
nationaL 
National Heritage 
Our most valued natural, 
Indigenous and historic heritage 
sites. They reflect the richness 
of our natural heritage and 
the story of our development, 
from our original inhabitants to 
present day, Australia's spirit and 
ingenuity, and our unique, living 
landscapes. For example, Old 
Parliament House in Canberra. 

Commonwealth Heritage 
These are places owned or 
controlled by the Australian 
Government. For example, 
Geraldton Drill Hall Complex, WA. 

State and territory heritage 
These are places of special 
interest in the broader context of 
the state or territory. They must 
have some important significance 
to the state or territory in its 
widest sense (rather than just 
a locally important place). For 
example, a colonial building. 
Heritage List 

World Heritage List 
Places in Australia are nominated 
by the Australian Government but 
the list is maintained by the World 
Heritage Centre of the United 
Nations Educational, Scientific and 
Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), 
based in Paris. 

National Heritage List 
tHresHoLd for 
Listing 

Outstanding universal value 
Outstanding heritage value to 
the nation 
Commonwealth Heritage List 
Significant heritage value 
state and territory 
LocaL government 
Local heritage 
These places are significant in 
the context of a local area. They 
contribute to the individuality 
and streetscape, townscape, 
landscape or natural character 
of an area and are matters 
controlled by local government. 
They often reflect the socio- 
economic or natural history of a 
local area. For example, a church 
or town hall. 
ACT Heritage Register 

NSW State Heritage Register 

NT Heritage Register 

Queensland Heritage Register 

SA Heritage Register 

Tasmanian Heritage Register 

Victorian Heritage Register 

WA Register of Heritage Places 

Some of these lists deal with 
all types of heritage - natural, 
Indigenous and historic, and some 
also deal with heritage objects. 
Some states and territories also 
have a separate Indigenous site 
register. 

ACT: incorporated in the territory 
register 

NSW: NSW State Heritage 
Inventory/Local Environment Plan 

Qld: local government heritage 
register 

SA: list in Council Development 
Plan 

Tas: list in planning scheme 
heritage schedules 

Vic: scheduling in Heritage Overlay 
or other mechanism in local 
government planning scheme 

WA: Municipal Inventory. 
Importance or significance to 
the state or territory 
Importance or significance to 
the local community. 
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 Examples of different lists and thresholds 
LocaL Heritage 
NSW Heritage Branch, Department of Planning 
Catherine Hill Bay Coal Loader 
Jetty, NSW 
Built in c1974, this long jetty is a 
substantial reminder of the two earliest 
coal mining ventures in Lake Macquarie, 
in 1873 and 1889, both of which had 
similar jetties at this site. The jetty is an 
outstanding and picturesque feature of the 
historic landscape. 
Townsville City Council 
House, Townsville, QLD 
This house appears to have been built 
after World War II and, with its late use 
of decorative shingle boards, it is a unique 
example of continuing influence of the 
Californian Bungalow and Queen Anne 
styles into the mid-20th century. It also 
contributes to the streetscape. 
Duncan Marshall 
Dog Rock, Albany, WA 
A distinctive geological monument made 
of granite resembling the head of a dog. 
A local landmark. 
state or territory Heritage 
Carnarvon Heritage Group Inc 
One Mile Jetty and Tramway 
Carnarvon, WA 
Built in 1897-98 and later extended, the 
timber jetty is one of the few remaining 
from the period when shipping was the 
principal form of WA transportation. 
It was essential to the development of 
Carnarvon and the north west of WA. 
J. McKinnon/DEWHA 
Ewaninga Conservation Reserve, NT 
Prehistoric abraded and pecked engravings, 
which are an outstanding example of 
central Australian rock art, provide 
a source of information about the 
occupation of the Central Desert prior 
to European occupation. 
Courtesy Heritage Victoria 
Gabo Island Lighthouse 
Gabo Island, VIC 
Built of local pink granite in 1859-62, this 
lighthouse was a key part of the system of 
navigation aids planned for Bass Strait in 
1841.  The tower's profile was replicated 
for all later lighthouses in Victoria. 
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 state or territory Heritage 
EPA Qld 
Adelaide Steamship Company Ltd 
Building, Cairns, QLD 
The building is important in contributing 
to our understanding of the evolution 
of Cairns as the major port of far north 
Queensland in the early 20th century, 
and for its special association with the 
Adelaide Steamship Company Ltd. This 
company made a major contribution to 
the economic development of far north 
Queensland in the late 19th and early 
20th centuries. 
Philip Wright/DEWHA 
Adelaide Mosque, 1889, SA 
Historically significant as one of the few 
relics of Afghan immigration to South 
Australia in the 19th century. Afghan 
camel drivers played an important role 
in the development of outback South 
Australia. 
Michelle McAulay/DEWHA 
Great Zig Zag Railway and Reserves 
Lithgow, NSW 
This railway, constructed 1863-69, had a 
profound influence upon the development 
and economy of western NSW. At the 
time it was the greatest civil engineering 
work in Australia, considered worldwide 
as an engineering marvel. It reflects the 
difficulty experienced in crossing the Blue 
Mountains and engineering compromises. 
The sandstone escarpments and viaducts 
provide a dramatic juxtaposition to the 
nearby urban development. 
DEWHA 
Reid Housing Precinct 
mostly 1926-27, ACT 
One of Canberra's Garden City heritage 
precincts that collectively and individually 
demonstrate the early principles of 
Garden City planning. One of the 
underpinnings of the initial planning of 
Canberra by a sequence of government 
authorities between 1920 and the Second 
World War (1939-45). Its intention 
was to create healthy working and living 
environments for urban residents, many 
of the principles being integral to Walter 
Burley Griffin's winning design for the new 
Australian capital. 
Claire Baker/DEWHA 
Kangaroo Bluff Battery 
1881-85, TAS 
This battery is excavated into the bedrock 
of the bluff and is placed to allow a clear 
field of fire across the channel of the 
Derwent River below. The Bluff Battery is 
significant as a manifestation of the phases 
of military history from 1867-c1920, 
its ability to demonstrate the principal 
characteristics of a Victorian era military 
facility, and has archaeological potential to 
contribute to a greater understanding of 
Tasmanian history. 
Mark Mohell/DEWHA 
Lithgow Blast Furnace 
1906-1928, NSW 
This blast furnace was the sole Australian 
producer of iron ore during its  first seven 
years of operation and remained the major 
producer until closure in 1928. It reflects 
the growth of the Australian iron and 
steel industry and the confidence of the 
emerging nation. These industries were 
of enormous importance to NSW and 
Lithgow. The furnace has aesthetic appeal 
as a ruin and significance as a symbol 
of the struggle for labour conditions 
and it's surviving features are a resource 
for studying technological change in 
ironmaking. 
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 nationaL Heritage 
John Baker/DEWHA 
Echuca Wharf, Echuca, VIC 
An outstanding survivor of the booming 
Murray River trade of the late 1800s, 
servicing the pastoral districts of the 
Riverina and Western NSW during 
a boom that transformed Australia's 
economy, and contributing to the move 
to Federation. Echuca quickly became the 
pre-eminent port on the river, and the 
second biggest port in Victoria. 
Mark Mohell/DEWHA 
Mount William stone hatchet 
quarry, VIC 
An important source of stone hatchet 
heads which were traded over a wide area 
of south-east Australia. The quarry area has 
evidence of both surface and underground 
mining, with 268 pits and shafts, some 
several metres deep, where sub-surface 
stone was quarried. 
DEWHA 
Old Parliament House 
1927, ACT 
The home of Australia's federal Parliament 
for 61 years, and important for significant 
milestones of Australia's democratic history 
that were forged here. 
Philip Wright/DEWHA 
Old and New Parliament Houses, SA 
These buildings are significant for their 
association with the enfranchisement of 
men and women in the 19th century: full 
adult manhood suffrage (1856) first fully 
secret ballot elections (1857); and votes for 
women and ability to stand for parliament 
(1894). It was one of the first jurisdictions 
worldwide to give women the vote and 
the first jurisdiction in the world to allow 
women to stand for parliament. South 
Australia also strongly influenced the 
granting of voting and standing rights to 
women in federal elections (1902). 
Australian Scenics 
Richmond Bridge, TAS 
This 1825 convict bridge has outstanding 
heritage value to the nation because of its 
rarity as the earliest Australian large stone 
arch bridge and its aesthetic value. It has 
survived with few significant changes since 
it was first constructed. 
DEWHA 
Bondi Beach, Sydney, NSW 
Bondi Beach is one of the world's most 
famous beaches. It is also significant as the 
site of the foundation of Australia's first 
recognised surf lifesaving club in 1907. Its 
central place in the development of beach 
culture in Australia is also significant. 
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 More 
information 
This guide has been produced as an initiative of all the heritage and environment ministers 
of Australian Governments - the Environment Protection and Heritage Council. 
© Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts 2008 
Front cover image: Echuca Wharf, Victoria, John Baker/DEWHA 
nationaL 
(including World Heritage, National Heritage, Commonwealth Heritage) 
Heritage Division 
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts 
Phone:  02 6274 1111 
Web:     www.environment.gov.au/heritage 
act 
ACT Heritage 
Department of Territory & Municipal Services 
Phone:  13 2281 
Web: 

nsW 
www.tams.act.gov.au/live/heritage 
Heritage Branch 
Department of Planning 
Phone:  02 9873 8500 
Email:    heritage@planning.nsw.gov.au 
Web: 

nt 
www.heritage.nsw.gov.au 
Heritage Conservation Services 
Department of Natural Resources, 
Environment and the Arts 
Phone:  08 8924 4142 
Email:    heritage.nreta@nt.gov.au 
Web: 

QLd 
www.nt.gov.au/nreta/heritage 
Cultural Heritage Branch 
Environment Protection Agency 
Phone:  07 3227 6499 
Email:    csc@epa.qld.gov.au 
Web: 

sa 
www.epa.qld.gov.au/cultural_heritage 
Heritage Branch 
Department for Environment and Heritage 
Phone:  08 8124 4960 
Email:    heritage@saugov.sa.gov.au 
Web: 

tas 
www.environment.sa.gov.au/heritage 
Heritage Tasmania 
Department of Environment, Parks, Heritage and the Arts 
Phone:  1300 850 332 or 03 6233 2037 
Email:    enquiries@heritage.tas.gov.au 
Web: 

vic 
www.heritage.tas.gov.au 
Heritage Victoria 
Phone:  03 8644 8800 
Email:    heritage.victoria@dpcd.vic.gov.au 
Web: 

Wa 
www.heritage.vic.gov.au 
Heritage Council of WA 
Phone:  08 9221 4177 
Email:    heritage@hc.wa.gov.au 
Web:     www.heritage.wa.gov.au 
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