How we assess State Heritage

Guidelines for Interpreting State Heritage Criteria can be downloaded here.

This document provides guidance for interpreting the criteria for State Heritage listing and are used by the Council in their decision making to determine whether a place is of State level heritage significance.

A place is of heritage significance if it satisfies one or more of the seven criteria under section 16(1) of the Heritage Places Act:

(a) it demonstrates important aspects of the evolution or pattern of the State's history; or

(b) it has rare, uncommon or endangered qualities that are of cultural significance; or

(c) it may yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the State's history, including its natural history; or

(d) it is an outstanding representative of a particular class of places of cultural significance; or

(e) it demonstrates a high degree of creative, aesthetic or technical accomplishment or is an outstanding representative of particular construction techniques or design characteristics; or

(f) it has strong cultural or spiritual associations for the community or a group within it; or

(g) it has a special association with the life or work of a person or organisation or an event of historical importance.


A State Heritage Place can also be designated as a place of archaeological, geological, palaeontological or speleological significance under section 14(7) of the Act.

An Object of heritage significance related to a State Heritage Place can also be entered in the Register if:

(a) it is an archaeological artefact, or any other form of artefact that satisfies 1 or more of the criteria set out in subsection (1) or

(b) it is a geological, palaeontological or speleological specimen that satisfies 1 or more of the criteria set out in subsection (1); or

(c) it is an object that is intrinsically related to the heritage significance of a State Heritage Place or a State Heritage Area.