This idea helped build the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Could it save NSW heritage?
The Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge wouldn't exist today except for popular public lotteries that sold millions of tickets to support their construction.
Now experts say a lottery like the UK Heritage Fund, which has raised $19 billion over the past 30 years, could save NSW's heritage before it is too late.
The fund provides grants of $20,000 to $20 million to projects ranging from oral histories to castles and outdoor pools.
Thanks to the British public, a $10 million payout supported the restoration of Brighton's art deco Saltdean Lido to its previous grandeur. The outdoor pool was built in the same era and style as the North Sydney Pool and Newcastle Baths.
Asked whether she supports the idea of a UK-style heritage lottery, NSW Heritage Minister Penny Sharpe replied: 'We are open to any idea that could help raise funding for our state's heritage.'
Sharpe said the government was committed to better supporting communities to protect, commemorate and enhance heritage for the next generations.
The NSW draft heritage strategy released in mid-May – open for public feedback until early July – said more funding for conservation and enforcement had been a top concern in consultations. It coincided with coverage of the decline in Katoomba of famous art deco properties, including its old cinema, the Paragon Cafe and Mount St Mary's College and Convent.
Former premier Bob Carr, now chair of the Australian Heritage Council and the Museums of History NSW, said it was worth interrogating how the UK heritage lottery worked, though criticism was inevitable. As a form of gambling, a heritage lottery was 'a relatively benign one, compared with poker machines and casinos'.
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