The draft NSW Heritage Strategy document is on public consultation until Sunday 13 July 2025. It can be read HERE

The NSW Government says it “would like to hear your thoughts on a new draft heritage strategy for NSW” and that the “draft strategy aims to ensure heritage is valued as an integral part of the culture and wellbeing of our communities and our sense of place” and that “Heritage includes the places, objects and stories we have inherited from the past and want to protect for generations to come. It includes:

• Aboriginal culture and landscapes spanning tens of thousands of years
• Natural heritage such as landscapes and ecosystems
• Historic buildings and structures
• Gardens, precincts and cultural landscapes
• Archaeological sites and shipwrecks
• Moveable heritage such as collections and objects
• Intangible heritage such as cultural practices and traditions”.

The NSW Government claims that it “engaged and listened to the views of people from across NSW in the development of the strategy, including the heritage sector, advocacy groups, government and the broader community via workshops, focus groups and a public survey”.

Tell the NSW Government what you think

You need to share your feedback on the website by completing a survey, sharing an idea, uploading a submission or completing a quick poll by Sunday 13 July 2025. Information is provided in the draft NSW Heritage Strategy and frequently asked questions (FAQs).

draft NSW Heritage Strategy:

The draft NSW Heritage Strategy sets out a vision and strategic direction for protecting, conserving and activating the heritage of NSW. It outlines a series of high-level actions designed to achieve this vision. Actions will be refined based on public feedback and greater detail will be provided in the final strategy.

The draft NSW Heritage Strategy was developed through an extensive engagement process that began in August 2023. To understand the challenges and opportunities for heritage in NSW, the NSW Government talked to key stakeholders from across the heritage, planning, property, and local government sectors. We also met with a range of community advocacy organisations. A public survey was conducted on the Have Your Say webpage and a series of focus groups with diverse community members were held to better understand how the community views heritage. The draft strategy also draws on the report and recommendations from the 2021 Standing Committee on Social Issues’ Inquiry into the Heritage Act 1977, and the more than 300 submissions made to that Inquiry.

The draft NSW Heritage Strategy acknowledges that Aboriginal cultural heritage is the foundation of all heritage in NSW. Actions under the draft strategy focus on recognition and protection of Aboriginal cultural heritage under the Heritage Act 1977 (e.g. state significant Aboriginal cultural heritage sites) and associated programs, such as the NSW Blue Plaques program.

The NSW Government is committed to reforming Aboriginal cultural heritage legislation, currently managed under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. Aboriginal cultural heritage reforms are being carried out separately to the development of the NSW Heritage Strategy. The strategy will complement any future changes to the system for identifying and protecting Aboriginal cultural heritage. Further information about the Aboriginal cultural heritage reforms can be found here.

The Transport Orientated Development program and the Low and Mid-rise Housing Reforms aim to increase the number of well-located homes close to transport and deliver the government’s housing targets. The NSW Government is committed to delivering both new housing and heritage protections.

The NSW Heritage Strategy will support the housing reforms by considering ways to improve the alignment between the heritage and planning systems. With careful planning, development can be sensitively integrated into our neighbourhoods, protecting heritage character and enhancing the sense of place and liveability of our suburbs. Further information about the housing reforms can be found here.

Local heritage is managed by local councils across New South Wales and is protected under the Environmental Planning & Assessment Act 1979. The strategy considers local heritage within the context of considering ways to improve the alignment between the heritage and planning systems.

The 2021 Upper House Inquiry into the Heritage Act 1977 made 26 recommendations for legislative and non-legislative reform to the heritage system in NSW. The strategy provides an overarching framework for delivering on many of these recommendations.

he NSW Government proposes to pursue amendments to the Heritage Act 1977, in line with the recommendations of the 2021 Inquiry, as part of implementing the strategy.