Dick Adams (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This week I spoke in the debate on private members’ business on the motion regarding the retention of archives in their respective states. I was making a case for the materials to be taken over by the state archives, especially in Tasmania, where it is still a relevant matter. I would like to expand on the reason I believe it is so important to keep collections of information together and in areas where it was generated. Our history and heritage is beginning to become more and more important to us in the development of our nation. Certain records such as those of migration and settlement give us a direction on where each state developed from. In my own state of Tasmania, Indigenous settlement shaped the countryside for thousands of years, so that when European settlement first came there was already a settlement history. The walking paths of the Tasmanian Aboriginals where they came from the highlands down to the coast were well established and well worn over thousands and thousands of years. The Launceston to Hobart Heritage Highway crosses one of those major paths, which were much more ancient and should be recognised sometime, hopefully, in the future. That settlement history has been overlaid by new settlements since we began.

Much of the information on exploration and archaeology has been stored in collections, and early records went into the archives. So it comes down to being able to help people discover their past, see where changes over time were made and benefit from this early knowledge of the natural watercourses and railway line planning—where they thought they might have put the railway, where the railway now runs and maybe where it will go into the future.

Maritime activities are very important for my home state of Tasmania because we are surrounded by water and we have a very rich maritime history. The early architecture, especially to aid conservation of buildings now, when people are starting to become aware of keeping our buildings in good order and putting them back to maybe what they were, is so important. The needs for access and easy access are very important to get to these records. Tasmania has more heritage buildings still left in original condition than any other place in Australia, and of course we are the smallest state, with half a million people, so for us to get heritage money to find a way to keep that heritage intact and to help people in a private sense to be able to keep their houses and restore buildings is a very important challenge for us.

Our stone building heritage is quite unique. We have whole towns—like Oatlands, Richmond and Kempton—where the buildings are still really intact and, apart from probably a lick of paint and a few new beams, are basically unchanged from the early buildings that were erected. This is pretty unique stuff, and we need to find ways to keep it. But ensuring that they keep their integrity as heritage buildings is very expensive. We will need to find ways through that so that a public interest can be found. The owners of these buildings are really left to preserve them in any way they can. There are a few small grants and some local government assistance but little else. Having to start travelling the country looking for additional plans and documents to try to keep a true record does start making this an almost impossible job for those who are dedicated to it.

Those who have visited Tasmania cannot believe that we have so much here, and a few locals are really interested and struggle to keep the experience real. While we are famed for our fine food, our fruit, our fish, our fresh vegetables and wine and other boutique alcohol, the settings in which they are delivered are often hard pushed to keep their buildings upright. Our heritage can also provide a source of old/new jobs, and training to develop those old skills should be included as part of our education system so that—(Time expired)

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