ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the case for the protection of heritage at the local level in the older suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, as seen from the perspective of a heritage professional with over fifteen years of practical experience. It reviews some of the issues that predated the Subiaco events, looks at their immediate aftermath, and then considers some of their longer-term consequences. The discussion investigates some of the reasons why these protests occurred in Subiaco, but not in other areas, and why they occurred at this particular time. While there were many parallels in physical terms between Subiaco and the areas where heritage protection has been achieved, there were many differences between the separate communities. The Heritage Council initiated the process in the early 1990s by the infusion of a small sum of money per local authority. Assessing places for the State Register of Heritage Places was a far more complex and detailed process than assessing places for municipal inventories.
