Resourcing (funding and the skills base) has been identified as inadequate in all state of the environment report chapters on heritage since 1996. Agencies with heritage management responsibilities are understaffed and lack adequate resources to meet these responsibilities adequately. Resourcing constraints prevent Australian protected area agencies from addressing major conservation priorities. Funding programs for public and private conservation are inadequate and too narrowly focused in heritage conservation scope, and incentives and conservation assistance for private heritage owners are inadequate. There are inadequate heritage expert staff employed in all heritage areas. Relevant skills are underappreciated in some areas, and in other areas increased training is required.
Related to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals target 11.4
Indigenous heritage programs and arts funding support community-level programs. However, the level of funding is often considered insufficient to cover the diversity of Indigenous communities. In 2021, the Australian Government announced that $102 million will be available annually through to 2028 for Indigenous ranger activities, specifically to develop longer-term programs that create innovative ways to protect environmental and cultural heritage assets.
The level of resourcing for protected areas is being maintained, but is inadequate to meet the ongoing and increasing challenges of managing these areas. Funding for labour-intensive conservation has been insufficient for some time, resulting in a heavy dependence on volunteers to undertake such work. Natural values expert staffing is generally inadequate at all levels of government.
Similar to natural heritage, but with funding and expert staffing less adequate. There is inadequate geoheritage expertise to service expert staffing needs. Additional resources are needed to establish a protective framework for geoheritage and to ensure that geoheritage lists are efficiently populated.
Although the level of resourcing of agencies managing historic heritage has generally been maintained over the past 5 years, it remains inadequate for the routine work required, to improve identification of the historic heritage, to assess it, and to address changing circumstances and new issues. Heritage expert staffing levels are also inadequate, especially for underwater cultural heritage. Limited availability of traditionally trained craftspeople is continuing to hamper heritage conservation.
Resourcing remains inadequate for improving the identification of World Heritage and the detailed assessment and nomination process, and is not keeping up with increasing needs. Heritage expert staffing levels are also inadequate to support World Heritage work, including more collaborative management with state and territory managers.
Resourcing remains inadequate for improving the identification of National Heritage and the detailed assessment and nomination process, and is not keeping up with increasing needs. Heritage expert staffing levels are also inadequate to support National Heritage work, including more collaborative management with state and territory managers.