The draft NSW Heritage Strategy sets out a vision and strategic direction for protecting, conserving and activating the heritage of NSW. It outlines a series of high-level actions designed to achieve this vision. Actions will be refined based on public feedback and greater detail will be provided in the final strategy.

The draft NSW Heritage Strategy was developed through an extensive engagement process that began in August 2023. To understand the challenges and opportunities for heritage in NSW, the NSW Government talked to key stakeholders from across the heritage, planning, property, and local government sectors. We also met with a range of community advocacy organisations. A public survey was conducted on the Have Your Say webpage and a series of focus groups with diverse community members were held to better understand how the community views heritage. The draft strategy also draws on the report and recommendations from the 2021 Standing Committee on Social Issues’ Inquiry into the Heritage Act 1977, and the more than 300 submissions made to that Inquiry.

The NSW Government is excited to invite the people of NSW to participate in this important process and have your say on the draft NSW Heritage Strategy. This is the final phase of consultation and your feedback is crucial to ensure that the final strategy captures the diverse perspectives and voices of our state.

You can provide your feedback in four ways:

Public consultation on the draft NSW Heritage Strategy will be open for 8 weeks from 16 May 2025 to 13 July 2025. The feedback, comments and ideas received from public consultation will be used to develop a final version of the strategy.

The draft NSW Heritage Strategy acknowledges that Aboriginal cultural heritage is the foundation of all heritage in NSW. Actions under the draft strategy focus on recognition and protection of Aboriginal cultural heritage under the Heritage Act 1977 (e.g. state significant Aboriginal cultural heritage sites) and associated programs, such as the NSW Blue Plaques program.

The NSW Government is committed to reforming Aboriginal cultural heritage legislation, currently managed under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. Aboriginal cultural heritage reforms are being carried out separately to the development of the NSW Heritage Strategy. The strategy will complement any future changes to the system for identifying and protecting Aboriginal cultural heritage. Further information about the Aboriginal cultural heritage reforms can be found here.

The Transport Orientated Development program and the Low and Mid-rise Housing Reforms aim to increase the number of well-located homes close to transport and deliver the government’s housing targets. The NSW Government is committed to delivering both new housing and heritage protections.

The NSW Heritage Strategy will support the housing reforms by considering ways to improve the alignment between the heritage and planning systems. With careful planning, development can be sensitively integrated into our neighbourhoods, protecting heritage character and enhancing the sense of place and liveability of our suburbs. Further information about the housing reforms can be found here.

Local heritage is managed by local councils across New South Wales and is protected under the Environmental Planning & Assessment Act 1979. The strategy considers local heritage within the context of considering ways to improve the alignment between the heritage and planning systems.

The strategy is intended to be implemented over five years. Timeframes and implementation steps will be set out in the final strategy document.

The 2021 Upper House Inquiry into the Heritage Act 1977 made 26 recommendations for legislative and non-legislative reform to the heritage system in NSW. The strategy provides an overarching framework for delivering on many of these recommendations.

The NSW Government proposes to pursue amendments to the Heritage Act 1977, in line with the recommendations of the 2021 Inquiry, as part of implementing the strategy.

The draft NSW Heritage Strategy sets out a vision and strategic direction for protecting and conserving heritage in NSW and outlines a series of high-level actions to achieve this vision. During the public consultation period we will be seeking feedback not just on the actions we propose, but on how we might work with communities to implement them.

These actions will be refined based on public feedback and further detail will be provided in the final strategy.

Heritage NSW has heard through consultation that additional guidance on how to identify, protect and manage State and local heritage would help to improve consistency of decision-making and better support heritage owners to conserve their heritage items. Heritage NSW is also working to update existing guidelines for managing heritage under the Heritage Act 1977, and will be working with the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure to develop a range of new resources to assist councils. We would also like to hear from you as to what resources would be most useful.

It is intended that the strategy be implemented over 5 years, with the delivery of different actions staged over time to make the best use of available resourcing. Any proposals that may require new funding will go through the usual government budget process.

Intangible cultural heritage means the traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as traditions, practices, events, knowledge and skills. There is a wealth of these types of traditions practiced in NSW that may be considered intangible cultural heritage. Heritage NSW proposes to work with NSW communities to identify and support this type of heritage.

The Heritage Act currently provides for some tailored regulatory approaches to some items, for example via standard and site-specific exemptions from the need for approval under the Heritage Act, as well as the delegation of some functions to government agencies. We’ll be looking at how we can best use these types of tools, and others, to help owners to conserve and use their state-significant heritage items, including moveable heritage and cultural landscapes.