The outdated Heritage Act will soon be replaced with modern, updated legislation to preserve places that tell the story of our State’s history and development, with a new Heritage Bill introduced into State Parliament on November 8.
This new legislation will replace the Heritage of Western Australia Act 1990 and deliver modernisation of heritage legislation.
The Bill retains the strengthened penalties for deliberate destruction of registered places and responds to the community’s call for better protection for important heritage places that are left to become run down and at risk from ‘demolition by neglect’.
Operationally, the new legislation significantly streamlines the process for entering a place in the State Register and will increase transparency by requiring the publication of the Heritage Council’s advice to the Minister for Heritage on inclusion of a place in the State Register.