Appendix E: The Burra Charter

The Australia ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance, 2013

Source: https://australia.icomos.org/publications/charters/

Preamble

Considering the International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites (Venice 1964), and the Resolutions of the 5th General Assembly of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) (Moscow 1978), the Burra Charter was adopted by Australia ICOMOS (the Australian National Committee of ICOMOS) on 19 August 1979 at Burra, South Australia. Revisions were adopted on 23 February 1981, 23 April 1988, 26 November 1999 and 31 October 2013.

The Burra Charter provides guidance for the conservation and management of places of cultural significance (cultural heritage places), and is based on the knowledge and experience of Australia ICOMOS members.

Conservation is an integral part of the management of places of cultural significance and is an ongoing responsibility

Who is the Charter for?

The Charter sets a standard of practice for those who provide advice, make decisions about, or undertake works to places of cultural significance, including owners, managers and custodians.

Using the Charter

The Charter should be read as a whole. Many articles are interdependent. The Charter consists of:

Definitions Article 1
Conservation Principles Articles 2–13
Conservation Processes Articles 14–25
Conservation Practices Articles 26–34
The Burra Charter Process flow chart.

The key concepts are included in the Conservation Principles section and these are further developed in the Conservation Processes and Conservation Practice sections. The flow chart explains the Burra Charter Process (Article 6) and is an integral part of the Charter. Explanatory Notes also form part of the Charter.

The Charter is self-contained, but aspects of its use and application are further explained, in a series of Australia ICOMOS Practice Notes, in The Illustrated Burra Charter, and in other guiding documents available from the Australia ICOMOS website: australia.icomos.org.

What places does the Charter apply to?

The Charter can be applied to all types of places of cultural significance including natural, Indigenous and historic places with cultural values.

The standards of other organisations may also be relevant. These include the Australian Natural Heritage Charter, Ask First: a guide to respecting Indigenous heritage places and values and Significance 2.0: a guide to assessing the significance of collections.

National and international charters and other doctrine may be relevant. See australia.icomos.org.