Palaszczuk Government salutes contribution of outgoing chair of Queensland Heritage Council

Heritage Protection Minister Dr Steven Miles has praised the important leadership of Professor Peter Coaldrake AO in helping champion heritage protection in Queensland.

Dr Miles said Professor Peter Coaldrake’s six years as Queensland Heritage Council Chair would end on December 31, when he completed the maximum term allowable for a Heritage Council member under the Heritage Act.

He said the Heritage Council under Professor Coaldrake had made many important decisions in “often very difficult circumstances’.

“I have great respect for the achievements of the Council in conserving Queensland’s cultural heritage and engaging meaningfully with owners of heritage places and local government,” Dr Miles said.

“A notable register decision was made relatively early in Professor Coaldrake’s tenure and followed an application made by the Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council for Fantome Island.

“The island is also known by its Aboriginal name of Eumilli and belongs to the Great Palm group off the coast of Townsville.

“It was a lock hospital and later a lazaret, facilities used for the isolation of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and South Sea Islander patients or inmates suffering from sexually transmitted diseases and leprosy.

“The entry of this place in the Queensland heritage register recognised an important aspect of our history that was little known by many sectors of the community,” he said.

Dr Miles also acknowledged the decision in June last year, by the Professor Coaldrake-led Heritage Council to enter the Queensland Cultural Centre at South Bank in the Queensland heritage register.

“This is an iconic place well known to many Queenslanders,” he said.

“Entering it in the heritage register acknowledged its importance as a unique collection of cultural institutions and in being an exemplar of the work of prominent architect Robin Gibson.

“I wish to congratulate Professor Coaldrake and the Queensland Heritage Council for the success it has had in championing the importance of heritage protection in Queensland during the recent planning reform process,” he said.

ENDS

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