Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2013L01343:front:0:p37
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2013L01343
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 94296–97205

uses of Mawson's Huts Historic Site are limited to heritage conservation, archaeology, tourism, and meteorological and opportunistic scientific observations.

2.4.1 Heritage Conservation

Since the 1970s, site visits have been undertaken specifically for heritage conservation, managed through a combination of private and AAD efforts, including Project Blizzard. ANARE visits took place in 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978 and 1981, against the backdrop of a growing campaign to raise awareness of the national significance of the site, and a heated debate over how best to preserve the Mawson legacy.

In 1967, the ANARE Club established a 'Mawson's Hut Restoration Committee'. Returned Australian expeditioners and others campaigned for recognition and preservation of the significance of the site – although they differed on whether this would be best achieved by not intervening at all, by minimal intervention using new timber to stabilise the structures, by a major intervention such as enclosing the historic huts in a dome, or by removing the huts from the site and re-erecting them in an Antarctic museum in Australia.

While most of the early visits did not set out to conserve the site, they documented observations on the condition of its features, and raised awareness of the challenges. Some of the reports may have over-estimated the rate or uniformity of timber loss, but they all registered genuine concerns about the future of the huts, and these concerns generated debate. A key question was whether the Main Huts could be preserved in situ, or whether the costs of maintenance expeditions to a place that was at that stage rarely visited would be prohibitive. One proposal was to dismantle and repatriate to Australia the key fabric, to be reconstructed for a museum display.

On-site recording and conservation work began in the 1970s, reflecting a growing awareness of the significance of the site, and of historic places in general. These efforts coincided with the growth of the heritage conservation movement and related professions, and reflected changes in the prevailing philosophy of heritage management. The huts were registered on the Register of the National Estate (now non-statutory) in 1980. While each step in the site's conservation has achieved tangible results, each expedition has also kept a public focus on the place, paving the way for current cooperative efforts between the public and private sectors.

Since 1978, successive Australian governments have endorsed a policy of preserving the huts in situ. This policy is consistent with national best practice: Burra Charter Article 9 states that a 'building, work or other component of a place should remain in its historical location', and relocation is 'generally unacceptable unless this is the sole practical means of ensuring its survival'. It is also consistent with Australia's international obligations, as Article