Council backs push to include City of Albany on national heritage list

A City of Albany councillor’s push to make Albany the second city in Australia included on the National Heritage List secured early support at Tuesday’s council meeting. A motion to start the process of nominating Albany for the National Heritage List was presented by Cr Sandie Smith and carried 10 votes to three. The motion requested that chief executive Andrew Sharpe prepare a report for consideration by councillors as the first step in the process of nominating the City for the national register. No timeframe was given for the preparation of the report, but it called for a consultation strategy and to indicate the costs of preparing an application. After a decade-long campaign, Broken Hill in NSW was named the first Australian city to be included on the National Heritage List in 2015 to honour the town’s mining history. The list includes natural, historic and Indigenous places of “outstanding significance to the nation”. There are 17 locations included on the National Heritage List in WA, including the Fitzgerald River National Park between Albany and Esperance. In a report put to the council ahead of the meeting, Cr Smith said Albany’s Indigenous heritage, townsite and maritime activities formed its strong merit for nomination. Cr Smith noted inclusion would be “unlikely to impact private owners”. “Being included on the National Heritage List would reinforce the importance of Albany in the history of WA, and would increase Albany’s profile with regards to funding and support for economic development in the tourism space, and conservation, management and promotion of important heritage assets, including buildings,” she said. “Additionally, inclusion on the NHL may bring Albany closer to a World Heritage Listing if so desired.” In the report, City of Albany executive director of infrastructure, development and environment Paul Camins said City staff were supportive “in principle” of a national listing. He said nominating a place for entry on the National Heritage List was “complex, potentially time consuming and costly” but the preparation of a report was a logical next step. Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting, Albany historian Malcolm Traill said the value of heritage tourism in Australia was “much under-estimated”. “Preliminary research demonstrates that Albany has all the attributes that the Federal Government looks for in a heritage city of national significance,” he said. “Be reassured a listing will not threaten development in any way — specific sites or heritage buildings worthy of preservation are already covered under State heritage legislation. “National Heritage listing will revitalise our local tourism economy after the current pandemic downturn.” Deputy Mayor Greg Stocks voted against the move. “There has only been one city in Australia that has been through this ... there has to be a reason for that,” he said.