The Burra Charter Adopted

Australia ICOMOS adopted the Burra Charter in 1979 at the historic mining town of Burra, South Australia, establishing a set of conservation principles for places of cultural significance that adapted the international Venice Charter of 1964 to Australian conditions and to non-European heritage including Aboriginal sites. Its central contribution was the concept of "cultural significance" assessed through aesthetic, historic, scientific and social value, and a conservation process built around understanding that significance before deciding how to act, favoring minimal intervention over reconstruction. Revised several times since 1979, the Charter became one of the most widely referenced heritage-conservation documents outside Europe and shaped conservation practice and legislation across Australia and internationally.