HERITAGE PRESERVATION

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (14:32): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Environment and Conservation a question about the preservation of heritage places.

Leave granted.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Our state's heritage is multifaceted: comprising the natural environment, the ancient culture of the traditional owners of the land, and also our more recently built and cultural heritage of European settlement. It is the government's responsibility, of course, to protect this heritage but it is also the government's responsibility to educate South Australians on our cultural heritage, why it is important and the reasons for its conservation. Will the minister inform the council of moves to better educate South Australians on the significance of our natural, cultural and built heritage?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Environment and Conservation, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister Assisting the Minister for Health) (14:33): I thank the honourable member for his most important question and his interest in these areas. In fact, it does go to the very issue that the Hon. Michelle Lensink asked in a question previously; that is, if we are able to educate particularly our young people in the broader community on the importance of the history and heritage values of our local assets, then we can be in a much better place to make sure our local councils ensure that these places are heritage listed. In fact, the sorts of values that the honourable member was talking about previously are local heritage values rather than state values.

I have been very lucky to see first-hand many of the state's fantastic heritage sites, and it is really important that education is an ongoing part of its preservation. For this reason, schools and students around South Australia are being encouraged to embrace their local heritage through the annual Schools Heritage Competition. The Schools Heritage Competition is an annual event open to all reception to year 12 students across the state, providing opportunities for classes to learn about and spread the word on local heritage places. South Australia's rich-built natural heritage is truly unique, and this competition has served for many years to give students a sense of pride in local heritage places in their local communities.

The 2008 theme, Interpreting Heritage Places, encourages students to think about the variety of ways in which the stories and messages of heritage places can be shared with others. This year's competition builds on the success of previous years and offers three different categories, each focusing on a distinctive style of interpretation.

The On-site Interpretation category is an exciting new challenge for students to contribute to the protection and promotion of heritage places through the development of an interpretive product. The winning product will be the one that is judged to best enhance visitor experiences by raising awareness of the stories and significance of the heritage site. It offers this year's major prize—funding up to $5,000—and the opportunity to work with industry professionals in developing that resource.

The other two categories (Electronic Interpretation and Interpretation through Television) invite students to develop PowerPoint presentations, websites, movies or Postcards-type TV shows or presentations that showcase heritage places while embracing modern communication technologies.

As in previous years, a package of materials outlining the competition rationale, criteria, prizes and time lines, as well as offering suggestions for interpreting the 2008, theme has been forwarded to all schools. Registrations of interest are due by Friday 30 May, with completed entries to be submitted by Friday 3 October 2008.

The Schools Heritage Competition is a wonderful initiative. The next generation of South Australian leaders in our schools today may even be taking part in the competition and will no doubt benefit enormously from what they learn. That is because some of our most fascinating history often sits right under our nose. By focusing on how we can communicate the significance of local heritage places to others, we really gain an insight into our history and the things that make us South Australians. I look forward to seeing the many fantastic entries and wish all the schools taking part the very best of luck.