ABSTRACT
Capturing the progressive and optimistic Australian public mood, the Whitlam Federal Labor Government was elected in December 1972. Its policy platform included an original vision for conservation called the ‘national estate’: a philosophy for heritage that was comprehensive, democratic, and interventionist in outlook. It became, following the Inquiry into the National Estate (1973–74), a limited policy agenda, residing with the Australian Heritage Commission. State and municipal authorities, meanwhile, took on greater responsibility for the historic environment, following the passage of standalone state heritage legislation and enhanced planning policies between the mid-1970s and mid-1990s. In addition to defending neighbourhoods and buildings, the heritage movement brought about strengthened conservation governance and management.
