Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00408:front:0:p429
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00408
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 1362022–1364948

can be used to provide evidence of aesthetic appreciation.  The aim is to look at both the evidence and the strength of the evidence, based on existing data, combined with new material gathered through focus groups and interviews.

Further general detail about establishing aesthetic significance is provided below.

Evidence of aesthetic significance

To determine whether a place has outstanding value to the nation there needs to be:
      * evidence that the place satisfies the descriptive element of the criteria – that is 'importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics valued by a community or cultural group';  and
      * evidence that it is also of 'outstanding heritage value to the nation'.

Establishing that a value is 'outstanding' can be in part by comparison with other broadly comparable places (or a finding that elements of a place are unique).

In terms of assessing aesthetic values the definition of aesthetics and beauty in the National Heritage assessment guidelines (Australian Heritage Council 2009) are important:
      * aesthetic (as an adjective) is defined in the Macquarie Dictionary (2001) as 'having a sense of the beautiful, characterised by the love of beauty'.  The Macquarie Dictionary (2005) includes 'relating to the sense of the beautiful or the science of aesthetics' and 'having a sense of the beautiful; characterised by a love of beauty';
      * beauty means 'that quality or characteristic which excited an admiring pleasure or delights the eye or the aesthetic sense (Macquarie Dictionary, 4th Edition, 2005);  and
      * 'exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics' has been interpreted as meaning that the place has aesthetic characteristics that are able to be defined ('particular') and be identified within the place under consideration.

In relation to the definition of a community or cultural group, the criterion requires consideration of:
      * 'valued by a community or cultural group' – the term 'valued' has been interpreted to mean that the characteristics are appreciated, respected, esteemed, treasured, etc, by a group of people that can be defined as a community or as cultural group;  and
      * community or cultural group has been defined to mean a group or body of people that share characteristics such as social organisation and locality (eg. a locality and its community), culture (ethnicity, culture, beliefs, traditions), or spiritual values.  In the assessment of social significance, the sharing of deeply felt experiences and activities can also create a community (eg. a group of people who train for and experience war service together; people who work closely together, etc).

The guidelines clarify that a community can exist at 'various levels' and that there is no statutory requirement for a community to be substantial in size.  On the other hand, a community can also refer to the Australian community as a whole.