Anzac Oval will not be declared a ‘heritage place’, NT Government announces
THE controversial Anzac Oval — the NT Government’s preferred site for the National Aboriginal Art Gallery — will not be declared a ‘heritage place’
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THE controversial Anzac Oval in Alice Springs will not be declated a heritage place, the NT Government has announced.
Tourism, Sport and Culture Minister Lauren Moss said on Thursday afternoon that she accepted “Anzac Oval (had) a degree of heritage significance” but it was not enough to make it unchangeable.
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“I accept that Anzac Oval has a degree of heritage significance, for the reasons described in the Statement of Heritage Value submitted to me by the Heritage Council,” she said.
“I also accept that its significance can at least partly be attributed to its changing use over time, as a public space linked to the social and cultural needs of the community.
“The owner of the land, Alice Springs Town Council, does not support the permanent declaration of Anzac Oval as a heritage place and it is my view that the site can continue to be available to serve the social and cultural needs of the community and reflect the cultural and environmental values of the area.”
Under the Act, the Minister must make a decision within 30 days after receiving the recommendation from the Heritage Council.
The decision comes as the Alice Springs Town Council held a special meeting on Thursday to discuss the matter.
Anzac Oval became a controversial topic in Alice Springs after the NT Government announced plans to build the National Aboriginal Art Gallery on the site.
The heritage decision will allow the NT Government to build the precinct on the site without facing further planning restrictions or difficulties.
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Families Minister Dale Wakefield said on Wednesday the precinct was the best place for the gallery.
She said the Government would be within its rights to compulsory acquire the oval if Alice Springs Town Council did not release the land.
“Right through this whole process we’re being very clear that Anzac Oval and the whole precinct is the correct place for the indigenous Aboriginal Art Gallery,” she said.
“This project is even more important at the moment with the challenges faced by our tourism industry. We are determined to deliver that.
“This is an absolutely game changing piece of infrastructure for Alice Springs and it is what we need to get the planes back to get the tourists back, as well as to make sure that Aboriginal art and culture is at the centre of our town.”
The Government’s Anzac Oval announcement came in one of two statements — both denying heritage status applications for significant Territory sites — released within a minute of each other.
The NT Government announced on Thursday afternoon that Richardson Park, the ‘home of rugby league in Darwin’, had also been denied heritage status.
Richardson Park has been the subject of protests over its proposed demolition by many in the Darwin rugby league community for some time.
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