-AUSlI( ALIA
Press Statement No. 92
16 May, 1973
TASK FORCE ON THE NATIONAL ESTATE
Mr Justice Hope, of the Court of Appeal division
of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, has agreed to act as
Chairman of the Government's proposed Task Force on the
National Estate.
I am grateful to Mr Justice Hope for his ready
agreement to chair this important inquiry and to the Premier
and Government of New South Wales for releasing him for this work.
I pay tribute to the Government of New South Wales for
its ready co-operation in projects of this kind. They have
made available the services of five Justices of the Supreme
Court of New South Wales to participate in commissions of
inquiry initiated by the Australian Government.
It is anticipated that the work of the Task Force
will be conducted by a Committee of seven with a permanent
secretariat supplied by the Departments of Urban and Regional
Development and of the Environment and Conservation. The Committee
will advertise for submissions and hold public hearings in the
States. The work of the Committee is expected to take several
months. In Mr Justice Hope we will have a-Chairman of great
capacity and experience, with a sympathetic understanding of
the problems which the Task Force will face.
The Task Force is needed because increasing numbers of
Australians are concerned to preserve for the enjoyment of
future generations the best buildings of our past and the best
features of our natural environment. This concern is shared
by Governments. The Australian Government is committed to the preservation
and enhancement of the National Estate. The concept of the
National Estate embraces such things as historic buildings and
towns, buildings of architectural merit, major parks, nature
reserves, urban parks, scenic reserves, areas along the coastline
and so on. 2/
2.
The Task Force will be asked to advise the
Australian Government on any additional measures and policies
which should be applied to preserve and enhance the National
Estate and the role the Australian Government can play in
assisting the implementation of these measures and policies.