OLD PARLIAMENT HOUSE AND CURTILAGE HERITAGE MANAGEMENT PLAN 2008–2013

H. Risk Analysis
Part D – Appendices
326 Old Parliament House and Curtilage Heritage Management Plan 2008–2013
Other risks common to multiple values are discussed in section 5.0 below. They include:
• the slow erosion of values caused by incremental inappropriate change
• inappropriate change of use
• inappropriate change to fabric and/or form
• a reduction in resourcing such that the conservation and interpretation needs of the place cannot be met
• failure to effectively ‘tell the story’ of OPH
• loss of expertise/knowledge.
4.0 The departure of the National Portrait Gallery
The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) has been a significant attraction at Old Parliament House, accounting for
30 per cent of its current visitation. This has resulted in a number of positive outcomes for Old Parliament House,
enhancing its heritage values in a number of ways. For example:
The building has continued in public use and the tradition of general public accessibility has been maintained.
The NPG and the Old Parliament House collections have complemented each other well, so that visitors to one
have generally also visited the other.
The place has remained in the public’s imagination as a place of symbolic value, while its traditional role as a
place for public expression has been maintained.
Old Parliament House has been able to continue to effectively communicate its stories to a wide audience.
However, it is proposed that the NPG will move to its own purpose-built home in 2008, with the result that the
benefits the NPG has brought will cease and Old Parliament House will need to consider possible future uses and
partnerships. While this presents Old Parliament House with opportunities for the enhancement of the place’s
heritage values, these changes may also bring with them a number of risks to the heritage values of Old Parliament
House. These are considered in detail in Section 5.0 below.
5.0 Specific Identified Risks
Section 5.0 summarises the heritage values of Old Parliament House, and their attributes, before listing the
identified risks to those values.
The identified risks are not necessarily exhaustive, and other unforeseen and unforeseeable risks may present
themselves in the future as the nature and uses of the place change.
The values and attributes identified below are a summary of those contained within the Draft Heritage Management
Plan for Old Parliament House.
5.1 Criterion (a) The place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s importance in the course, or
pattern, of Australia’s natural or cultural history
5.1.1 Summary of Values
• first purpose-built Federal Parliament building
• symbol of Australian government
• venue for important political, social and historical events
• building, setting, design and other elements bear witness to history
• focus for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal political protest.
5.1.2 Attributes of these Values
• whole of building, including interiors and furnishings
• moveable items
• design
• setting (including gardens, related buildings and tent embassy).