HERITAGE

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (14:50): My question is for the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation. Will the minister inform the chamber about how the government is assisting in the conservation of South Australian heritage places?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (14:50): I thank the honourable member for her very important question and, of course, her ongoing commitment to conserving our state's heritage. I am pleased to advise that today I have announced that the 2013-14 round of South Australian heritage fund grants has been released. A total of 17 applications have been approved, totalling, roughly, $150,000. This money will be spent on the maintenance or repair of places either listed on the South Australian heritage register or places within a state heritage area. These grants are made on a match dollar for dollar basis and can provide up to $10,000 per project.

The nature of SA heritage places vary quite greatly around the state, some are privately owned whilst others may be churches, for example, or owned by local government or community organisations. The maintenance issues that these old places face can also vary greatly. This grant provides a versatility the owners or carers of these places need to ensure that their place or building is kept in as good a shape as possible. For example, some of the grants this year were awarded for important stabilisation works, roof repairs or salt damp treatments.

The places that have been awarded funding have been both in the city of Adelaide and regional South Australia. Examples include the Morgan Railway Station and stationmaster's house, where grant money has been awarded to repair and replace gutters and also design an underground stormwater catchment system, or the Gawler Institute, where the library and ground floor will be receiving important maintenance work as well as exterior conservation works around the building. The full list of grant recipients is available on our government website.

There is no doubt that South Australia has a very rich legacy of heritage places right across our state and maintaining and repairing these buildings would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of community groups and volunteers. I would like to acknowledge, therefore, those people who play such a very important role in preserving our state heritage and I want to wish all of those who have been successful in this year's round of grants all the best with their maintenance repair work and encourage those who missed out to reapply next year.