Australia Yearbook - 2001

Chapter 12—Culture and recreation 499
Introduction
Cultural and recreational activities are
essential to a shared sense of quality of life.
They take many forms including involvement in
creative and performing arts, music, literature,
cultural heritage, libraries, radio, television and
sports.
This chapter reviews a range of cultural and
recreational activities which Australians
undertake and provides a statistical summary
(where available) for those activities.
Cultural and natural heritage
Australia’s heritage draws on its cultural and
natural environments and the history of its
people. It encompasses all the things that are
significant to Australians which have survived
from the past.
Cultural heritage includes historic places of
significance, such as: old towns and residential
and commercial buildings; Indigenous
ceremonial grounds and rock art galleries;
shipwrecks and streetscapes; as well as paintings,
objects, books, aircraft and natural history
specimens. Increasingly what was formerly
intangible, such as traditions, customs and habits,
is being recorded and documented in
photographs, films, tapes and digital records.
Movable cultural heritage refers to items of
cultural heritage which are capable of being
transported. Australia is one of only a few
countries which has developed and published a
specific policy and strategy to care for its movable
cultural heritage. Through the Heritage
Collections Council, governments at all levels
work collaboratively with the museums sector
and non-government organisations to conserve,
promote, manage and provide access to
Australia’s collections of movable cultural
heritage.
Natural heritage includes places of scientific,
archaeological, aesthetic and ecological
importance. It can also include geological
features and landscapes. Extensive areas of
coastline, forests, wetlands and deserts are
included in national parks, nature reserves and
wilderness areas. Many smaller sites are
important habitats for native flora and fauna,
enabling the conservation of threatened species.
Many natural places are significant to Indigenous
communities for cultural reasons.
Conservation of heritage places involves
identifying them, surveying their values, and
classifying and managing them. These functions
are shared between all levels of government and
their statutory authorities, with assistance from
academic and professional bodies, individuals and
community conservation organisations such as
the National Trusts, and conservation councils in
each State and Territory.
The Commonwealth Government works in
partnership with the community and with State
and Territory Governments. It undertakes
heritage activities on its own account where the
implications of these actions go beyond State or
local boundaries. Examples of this include the
nomination of sites for World Heritage listing, the
protection of Aboriginal heritage, and advice
about proposals which might affect places
entered in the Register of the National
Estate—Australia’s national heritage list.
National Estate
The term ‘the National Estate’ was coined by
William Clough Ellis, a British architect in the
1940s. It was introduced into Australia when the
Federal Government set up a Commission of
Inquiry into the National Estate, headed by Hon.
Mr Justice R.M. Hope. The inquiry aimed to
“preserve and enhance the quality of the National
Estate”. Following the recommendations of this
inquiry, the Australian Heritage Commission Act
was passed in 1975 with the support of all
political parties.
‘The National Estate’ is defined in the
legislation as:
‘‘ ... those places, being components of the
natural environment of Australia, or the
cultural environment of Australia, that have
aesthetic, historic, scientific or social
significance or other special value for future
generations as well as for the present
community’’.
Both publicly and privately owned places form
part of the National Estate. It encompasses places
which are important to local communities, as well
as those which are of regional or State
significance. The National Estate also includes
places which have national or international
significance. Broad stretches of coastline, desert,
forest and national parks, as well as isolated
geological monuments and small areas which
might provide habitats for endangered plant or
animal species are part of the National Estate. It
can cover whole villages and suburbs,
streetscapes, single mansions, cattlemen’s huts,