Heritage People Two key positions have been created in the Heritage Office as part of its strategic plan for the future. The two positions - Principal Heritage Officer: State & Commonwealth Government Heritage Management and Principal Heritage Officer: Local Government Heritage Management - will play an important role in coordinating an integrated approach towards heritage conservation. In this article Heritage NSW meets new appointees Ian Kelly and Susan Macdonald and gets their thoughts on how their positions will impact on heritage management in the State. Ian Kelly, Principal Heritage Officer: State & Commonwealth Government Heritage Management trained as an architect and has worked in architectural practices in Australia and overseas. Ian joined the NSW Heritage Office in February 1997 on a temporary basis and acted as Senior Heritage Officer. Previously he lectured at the Curtin University of Technology in Perth in architectural design, history and conservation and then worked for the Heritage Council of Western Australia. Susan Macdonald, Principal Heritage Officer: Local Government Heritage Management, also trained and practiced as an architect and has spent the last ten years in England working on private and government conservation projects. Her most recent appointment was a four year stint with the Architectural Conservation Team at English Heritage. What do you see as the main aims and challenges of your role? Ian: Establishing a strong working relationship with those Federal and State agencies responsible for managing heritage items in NSW. And, of course, I will be continuing the work of the office in helping State government agencies to develop strategies to manage their heritage assets.

New plan for Parramatta Last month the draft Regional Environment Plan for Parramatta (REP) was launched by the Minister Assisting the Premier on Western Sydney, the Hon. Kim Yeadon. Recognising Parramatta's role as the second metropolitan city, the plan provides a framework to guide the next 20 years of growth and change. The REP has been prepared by a unique partnership between the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning, the NSW Heritage Office and Parramatta City Council. Along with urban design and access, heritage is central to the REP. By integrating these strands in one document, it ensures that heritage will be taken into consideration in the planning of new development in Parramatta. Speaking at the launch, Director of the Heritage Office Rosalind Strong said, 'Better heritage integration and management, along with better urban management, will make Parramatta an investor and tourism magnet. People will want to invest, work, visit and live here when they can see we are committed to protecting the elements that make Parramatta great, and to encouraging sensitive development that enhances rather than detracts from the place'.

Susan: Ensuring that the wealth of information in the Heritage Act is translated in a meaningful way for local government and increasing the ability of local communities to take control of heritage management. The main challenge, I think, will be in trying to break down some of the entrenched attitudes towards heritage.

What's the biggest issue facing government regarding heritage? Ian: Identifying the heritage assets owned by State agencies and managing them in an appropriate manner. Changes in business practice and technology will make a number of public buildings redundant in the future. Our challenge is to ensure suitable adaptive reuse of these buildings which retains their cultural significance for the benefit of the whole community.

Susan: At a community level, resolving the tension between development, which is often associated in people's minds with 'progress' and economic benefits, and its effect on local heritage items. I think the answer largely lies in not marginalising or singling out heritage as somehow being a separate issue - it should permeate all planning and service delivery in local government.

Ian, what's been the most constructive heritage policy you've seen implemented in the last few years?

Without doubt it was the decision of the Minister to establish the State Heritage Inventory, a comprehensive database of NSW heritage items which is accessible to everyone via the internet. It is a major tool in enabling all levels of government to manage our heritage items more effectively.

Susan, you've recently arrived back in Australia after a long period spent working and living in England. What were your initial impressions of the state of heritage in this country and how do you think the Australian perception of heritage differs from that of the English?

My first impression was that heritage is much more prominent in the public's mind than when I left. I think that people now do have a genuine pride in all things Australian, including Aboriginal and natural heritage, and that's reflected in the increased numbers of people providing heritage services to satisfy the demand. As far as England is concerned, certainly heritage there is deeply ingrained in the national psyche, partly because of the large number of listed buildings and scheduled monuments and also, importantly, because of the heritage industry's longer history. But they are actually a bit envious of some of the new ideas Australians are bringing to conservation management. There's a tremendous amount of interest over there in the principles of the Burra Charter, for example.