Sent: Monday, 13 March 2006 

To: Heritage Inquiry

Subject: Outcome of the Productivity Commission

Dear Productivity Commission,
 
As one of the last speakers at the Productivity Commission held at the Holiday Inn, Kings Cross sometime last year in August 2005, I would like to say how extremely disappointed and disgusted I am with the outcome of this enquiry.  
 
As a person who has worked very hard in our community in protecting all items of heritage value, and some in our community who have dedicated 40 years of their life in protecting Australia's heritage, this is a very disappointing outcome.  
 
This process of 'negotiated conservation agreements' with owners of heritage properties is a nightmare scenario that would mean that changes in property ownership over time would mean that the agreements would have to be continually negotiated.   This will invite paper warfare,  chaos and confusion into our community.  This 'negotiated conservation agreements' would play into the hands of greedy developers, greedy home owners and greedy architects.  It has brought into disrepute all the hard work done by many good councils around Australia who have done so much to protect our heritage, including all the good work done by the National Trust.
 
I was hoping for a simpler, across the board ruling as based on Heritage Consultants, Godden Mackay Logan report, for example:-
 
1)  Retrain all pre-1030 buildings

2)  Avoid - alterations to the form (shape) of all pre-1939 buildings especially in terms of wall height, or alterations to the roof over the main part of the house, including second storey additions.
 
I would like to register my protest into the disappointing outcome of this Productivity Commission. 
 
Yours faithfully,

 
Mrs Josie Davidson