4National Estate

##### 4 National Estate (1) For the purposes of this Act, the national estate consists of those places, being components of the natural environment of Australia or the cultural environment of Australia, that have aesthetic, historic, scientific or social significance or other special value for future generations as well as for the present community. (1A) Without limiting the generality of subsection (1), a place that is a component of the natural or cultural environment of Australia is to be taken to be a place included in the national estate if it has significance or other special value for future generations as well as for the present community because of any of the following: (a) its importance in the course, or pattern, of Australia’s natural or cultural history; (b) its possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Australia’s natural or cultural history; (c) its potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Australia’s natural or cultural history; (d) its importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of: (i) a class of Australia’s natural or cultural places; or (ii) a class of Australia’s natural or cultural environments; (e) its importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics valued by a community or cultural group; (f) its importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period; (g) its strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons; (h) its special association with the life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in Australia’s natural or cultural history. (2) For the purposes of this section, Australia includes the territorial sea of Australia and the continental shelf of Australia. (3) A place may form part of the national estate for the purposes of this Act notwithstanding that the conservation, improvement or presentation of the place is dealt with by another Act.