❓ Hon Peter Foss asks the Minister for Heritage about the Heritage Council's request to list John Tonkin's former residence. The Minister, Hon Tom Stephens, explains why he rejected the recommendation, citing lack of architectural merit and the absence of the original rose garden.
AnsweredQoN 660Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
Has the minister been requested by the Heritage Council of Western Australia to agree to the heritage listing of John Tonkin’s former residence; and, if so, what was the minister’s decision, and if it was to refuse heritage listing, what were the minister’s reasons? Hon TOM STEPHENS
AnswerView source ↗
The Heritage Council of Western Australia requested the heritage listing of the former Tonkin family residence in east Fremantle. At the time that recommendation was made to me I was advised that it was not on the local council’s heritage inventory. Under the Heritage of Western Australia Act, I am left with the opportunity of receiving recommendations. By and large, a Minister for Heritage would want to be able to embrace, accept and adopt the recommendations of the Heritage Council of Western Australia. On this occasion I found myself unpersuaded by its recommendation. I did so on the basis that this was a building without any particular architectural merit and without any garden left to it. The famous rose garden was its most distinguishing feature in the time that it was occupied by the former Premier John Tonkin. It had been already stripped of that rose garden. I adopted the view that just because a building was once occupied by a Premier, even one as illustrious as the former Labor Premier John Tonkin, that was not of itself sufficient ground, without other compelling reasons, on which to accept its heritage listing. In those circumstances I was comfortable with rejecting the recommendation. It would be interesting if we had to heritage-list every house of every Premier, former or otherwise, regardless of the architectural merit of the building. I think the Heritage Council needed to have regard to a few more details. It is a rare event for the Minister for Heritage to knock back a recommendation of the Heritage Council - a couple of my predecessors did that in the last Government - and I do not want to make a habit of it.
Hon TOM STEPHENS replied: The Heritage Council of Western Australia requested the heritage listing of the former Tonkin family residence in east Fremantle. At the time that recommendation was made to me I was advised that it was not on the local council’s heritage inventory. Under the Heritage of Western Australia Act, I am left with the opportunity of receiving recommendations. By and large, a Minister for Heritage would want to be able to embrace, accept and adopt the recommendations of the Heritage Council of Western Australia. On this occasion I found myself unpersuaded by its recommendation. I did so on the basis that this was a building without any particular architectural merit and without any garden left to it. The famous rose garden was its most distinguishing feature in the time that it was occupied by the former Premier John Tonkin. It had been already stripped of that rose garden. I adopted the view that just because a building was once occupied by a Premier, even one as illustrious as the former Labor Premier John Tonkin, that was not of itself sufficient ground, without other compelling reasons, on which to accept its heritage listing. In those circumstances I was comfortable with rejecting the recommendation. It would be interesting if we had to heritage-list every house of every Premier, former or otherwise, regardless of the architectural merit of the building. I think the Heritage Council needed to have regard to a few more details. It is a rare event for the Minister for Heritage to knock back a recommendation of the Heritage Council - a couple of my predecessors did that in the last Government - and I do not want to make a habit of it.
The Heritage Council of Western Australia requested the heritage listing of the former Tonkin family residence in east Fremantle. At the time that recommendation was made to me I was advised that it was not on the local council’s heritage inventory. Under the Heritage of Western Australia Act, I am left with the opportunity of receiving recommendations. By and large, a Minister for Heritage would want to be able to embrace, accept and adopt the recommendations of the Heritage Council of Western Australia. On this occasion I found myself unpersuaded by its recommendation. I did so on the basis that this was a building without any particular architectural merit and without any garden left to it. The famous rose garden was its most distinguishing feature in the time that it was occupied by the former Premier John Tonkin. It had been already stripped of that rose garden. I adopted the view that just because a building was once occupied by a Premier, even one as illustrious as the former Labor Premier John Tonkin, that was not of itself sufficient ground, without other compelling reasons, on which to accept its heritage listing. In those circumstances I was comfortable with rejecting the recommendation. It would be interesting if we had to heritage-list every house of every Premier, former or otherwise, regardless of the architectural merit of the building. I think the Heritage Council needed to have regard to a few more details. It is a rare event for the Minister for Heritage to knock back a recommendation of the Heritage Council - a couple of my predecessors did that in the last Government - and I do not want to make a habit of it.
Hon TOM STEPHENS replied: The Heritage Council of Western Australia requested the heritage listing of the former Tonkin family residence in east Fremantle. At the time that recommendation was made to me I was advised that it was not on the local council’s heritage inventory. Under the Heritage of Western Australia Act, I am left with the opportunity of receiving recommendations. By and large, a Minister for Heritage would want to be able to embrace, accept and adopt the recommendations of the Heritage Council of Western Australia. On this occasion I found myself unpersuaded by its recommendation. I did so on the basis that this was a building without any particular architectural merit and without any garden left to it. The famous rose garden was its most distinguishing feature in the time that it was occupied by the former Premier John Tonkin. It had been already stripped of that rose garden. I adopted the view that just because a building was once occupied by a Premier, even one as illustrious as the former Labor Premier John Tonkin, that was not of itself sufficient ground, without other compelling reasons, on which to accept its heritage listing. In those circumstances I was comfortable with rejecting the recommendation. It would be interesting if we had to heritage-list every house of every Premier, former or otherwise, regardless of the architectural merit of the building. I think the Heritage Council needed to have regard to a few more details. It is a rare event for the Minister for Heritage to knock back a recommendation of the Heritage Council - a couple of my predecessors did that in the last Government - and I do not want to make a habit of it.
The Heritage Council of Western Australia requested the heritage listing of the former Tonkin family residence in east Fremantle. At the time that recommendation was made to me I was advised that it was not on the local council’s heritage inventory. Under the Heritage of Western Australia Act, I am left with the opportunity of receiving recommendations. By and large, a Minister for Heritage would want to be able to embrace, accept and adopt the recommendations of the Heritage Council of Western Australia. On this occasion I found myself unpersuaded by its recommendation. I did so on the basis that this was a building without any particular architectural merit and without any garden left to it. The famous rose garden was its most distinguishing feature in the time that it was occupied by the former Premier John Tonkin. It had been already stripped of that rose garden. I adopted the view that just because a building was once occupied by a Premier, even one as illustrious as the former Labor Premier John Tonkin, that was not of itself sufficient ground, without other compelling reasons, on which to accept its heritage listing. In those circumstances I was comfortable with rejecting the recommendation. It would be interesting if we had to heritage-list every house of every Premier, former or otherwise, regardless of the architectural merit of the building. I think the Heritage Council needed to have regard to a few more details. It is a rare event for the Minister for Heritage to knock back a recommendation of the Heritage Council - a couple of my predecessors did that in the last Government - and I do not want to make a habit of it.
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