OLD PARLIAMENT HOUSE AND CURTILAGE HERITAGE MANAGEMENT PLAN 2008–2013

3. Heritage Values
Part A – Context
38 Old Parliament House and Curtilage Heritage Management Plan 2008–2013
Risk analysis
Background
An analysis of the implications of the risks to the
heritage values at Old Parliament House was
undertaken as an important early step in the
development of the Heritage Management Plan.
Consultation was undertaken with a range of
internal stakeholders. The views gathered provide
different perspectives on the interaction of heritage
management, maintenance and works and the
promotional needs of the place. These views are
synthesised in the Heritage Management Plan.
All of the heritage values embodied at Old Parliament
House were considered in the risk analysis, including
both the values represented in the physical form and
fabric of the place, and the values embodied in a less
tangible sense, such as the building’s symbolic status.
A risk matrix was developed for each of the National
Heritage values, with the criteria for identifying the
likelihood of each risk provided, together with ratings
of the possible consequences (see Appendix H for risk
matrix and full risk analysis). It is noteworthy that the
risks identified for Old Parliament House tended to
fall within an area of the matrix suggesting a generally
moderate likelihood of risks occurring but a potential
for extremely serious consequences should the risks be
realised. This reflects the outstanding heritage values
of Old Parliament House.
The purpose of the analysis was to identify the
constraints operating at Old Parliament House with
respect to effective conservation as well as those
relating to possible future uses. By identifying the
principal threats it was intended that Old Parliament
House management could adopt proactive decisionmaking
procedures that anticipated threats to heritage,
rather than responding to them after the event.
The process of identifying the risks also had the effect
of stimulating ideas in relation to future opportunities
for Old Parliament House management to pursue in
relation to the appropriate management of the place’s
heritage values.
Summary of identified risks
The risks to the identified values at Old Parliament
House generally fall into two categories:
• risks to the fabric and form of the place
• risks to the less tangible values of the place.
The effects of risks to the fabric and form of the place
tend to be measurable. They also tend to be the
risks that are more readily identifiable in advance and
therefore can be prevented. Examples of these risks
include:
• fire, flood, theft, vandalism, natural disaster, terrorist
attack etc
• inappropriate conservation work resulting in damage
to heritage fabric
• inappropriate physical intervention (such as
demolition or unsympathetic addition) of parts of
Old Parliament House
• inappropriate use and/or inappropriate maintenance
resulting in damage to heritage fabric
• the slow erosion of values through incremental
change, culminating in major impacts on the place
• declining budgets and resources resulting in reduced
and/or inadequate maintenance and monitoring.
The second category of risks relates principally to the
less tangible values of Old Parliament House, and the
need to ensure its ongoing use and the interpretation
of its values to a wide audience. The risks identified in
this regard include:
• a change of use to all or part of the place, or the
carrying out of inappropriate activities (including
inappropriate promotions) that results in a diminution
of the symbolic values of Old Parliament House or a
reduction in public access
• the failure to appropriately tell the stories of the place
through ill-informed or ineffective interpretation
• the disengagement of important stakeholders (such
as government and the public) from
Old Parliament House as a result of failing to
effectively communicate the place’s heritage values
or through inadequate consultation
• the reduction of Old Parliament House to a sterile
and uninteresting environment rather than an active,
living and engaging heritage place
• a privileging of some phases of the place’s history
over others as a result of a failure to appreciate its
multi-layered heritage values
• a loss of important relationships between spaces,
objects and people as a result of a failure to properly
appreciate the significant associations at
Old Parliament House.
Reconstructed Country Party Room
Photographer: Auspic
Source: Old Parliament House Collection