What are the community expectations for heritage protection?

Ten essays were commissioned on key issues facing the heritage sector, each written by an Australian heritage expert. Five questions were posed: What is heritage? Whose heritage is it? Who are the players and what are their roles? What are community expectations for heritage protection? What are the social and economic benefits of heritage? Chris Johnston was invited to write on community expectations.

Her essay seeks to explore the roles and mutual expectations of the community and government on the dance floor of heritage – cultural and natural. It looks at the expectations each has of the other, and the basis of those expectations, along with how those expectations have changed over time and will certainly change in the future. This essay is very much a personal reflection, drawing on years of working in the heritage industry, generally for and with government but also often tasked with getting the potential dance partners talking, listening to and respecting each other.