Independent Heritage Commission Kelvin Thomson - Shadow Minister for Sustainability and the Environment

Media Statement - 23 June 2003

The Chair of the Australian Heritage Commission, Tom Harley, has shown an unacceptable pro-Government bias in his media release of 18th June entitled "Heritage 'deal' a very big milestone for Australia's heritage".

This is the latest in a series of actions that have politicised heritage protection in Australia. Mr Harley was a well-known member of the New South Wales Liberal Party who was appointed to head the Heritage Commission by a Liberal Government after the previous head, Peter King, resigned to become a Federal Liberal Member of Parliament.

Mr Harley's attack on Don Henry, Executive Director of the Australian Conservation Foundation, and on the Opposition is an inappropriately partisan intervention from a supposedly independent Chair.

In labelling the deal struck by Meg Lees and David Kemp as "the largest advance in heritage protection in 25 years", Mr Harley has shown himself to be a Government mouthpiece.

Labor has in excess of 100 amendments to the three Heritage Bills listed for debate in the Senate tomorrow and if passed our amendments will strengthen the protection of Australia's wealth of heritage places, and will enhance rather than weaken the role of the Commission as the Government's proposed legislation does, even with the Meg Lees amendments.

I would suggest Mr Harley take a closer look at the Meg Lees amendments.

Do they maintain the independence of the Australian Heritage Commission? NO!

Do they reject placing the listing process under Ministerial discretion? NO!

Do they transfer all existing Commonwealth owned places on the Register of the National Estate to the new Commonwealth Heritage List to ensure they are protected in the new scheme? NO!

The Liberal Party has already damaged the independence of the Commission with its appointment of Mr Harley and its politicisation of heritage protection in Australia.

If its Bills are passed, the independence of the Commission will be damaged still further.