Michelle Murray

2014 candidate for Alexandrina Council.
Heritage survey responses.

1. What do you think Council's role is in protecting and conserving heritage?
   Identifying infrastructure of heritage value. Raising awareness of our heritage. Seek to maintain heritage structures both financially and in kind, and support/guide those that are privately owned to do the same. Support community groups to maintain working heritage infrastructure and culture such as paddle steamers and rail. Identify and support fund raising through tourism. Recognize and support Aboriginal heritage alongside European heritage. Liase with community groups who invest into the maintenance, promotion and protection of heritage. This is largely happening.

2. What measures and incentives do you support to protect and conserve local heritage?
   Stronger engagement: Information plates on/with buildings, tours, deeper research into our history and open discussions. Collaboration with arts to help drive an engagement with heritage. Refreshing approach to information dissemination, ie. Modernising museums, online interactive sites, young people engaging and not just children, but people in their 20s. I recently researched a local project and mentored a young artist who was stunned he did not know this local history. Develop the wharf precinct to be an active, dynamic, engaging site.

3. What is the most important heritage protection issue in your local government area?
   I believe the most important aspect is the number of gatekeepers to our history who appear to 'own' it and a subconscious fear that there is a right way and a wrong way of engaging with heritage and history. This effectively shuts out younger people and helps to keep an engagement with our indigenous history quiet. We are shackled by an approach to history based on fear rather than celebration.

4. What policies and programs will you advocate to protect and conserve heritage in your local area?
   Raise awareness through collaboration between heritage, Arts and community. Garner enthusiasm for heritage so people are more supportive of councils financial support. Be creative on ways of utilising buildings, encourage private enterprise.

5. Do you support local Councils retaining development approval powers for projects over $3m in value?
   I'm not well enough informed to answer.

6. Do you have any other thoughts about the protection of heritage in your Council area?
   Just that if people are passionate about their heritage they will do all they can to protect it. If it is a 'white elephant' then it becomes a burden. We need to talk talk talk about our heritage and history as one, warts and all.