Minister questioned on heritage list and staff conduct

Running at just 30 minutes, Heritage may have been allocated the shortest time of Premier Will Hodgman's five portfolios, but both Labor and the Greens had pointed lines of questioning for the minister.

These followed a number of recent revelations detailing issues with Tasmanian Heritage Register's accuracy and management.

A right to information release last month detailed a two-year cadastral audit of data held on the properties protected by the list measured confidence in the site boundaries at just 76 per cent - 25.5 per cent of the data sheets were deemed to be acceptable.

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Earlier this year, a recently-discovered Kings Meadows convict site under consideration for protection was revealed to have been previously listed in a different location.

Labor's heritage spokeswoman Alison Standen asked Mr Hodgman how many "RTIs or investigations - whether internal or external" had been undertaken into staff regarding "potential or alleged misconduct, including bullying or corruption", along with past or current Integrity Commission probes.

[Audit revealed: Heritage Tasmania scrambling to fix incorrectly recorded boundaries]

The reply fell to Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment head Dr John Whittington - under whom the office of Heritage Tasmania sits.

"As you'd be aware I can't speak about - if there was any - I couldn't speak about any investigation by the Integrity Commission that's afoot," Dr Whittington said. "As for other complaints to the department I would have to take that on notice because I don't have a number in my head."

Ms Standen elaborated on a specific Integrity Commission investigation she was aware of, held over "more than six months".

That investigation resulted in a "lengthy report into a Heritage Tasmania officer" alleged to have "solicited representations or submissions" objecting to works applications the office was undertaking, she said. "A supposedly independent assessment."

['A shambles': Greens call for heritage register action]

Mr Hodgman replied it was a matter that "may have been investigated by the Commission of which I am not aware".

"And as to its publication, if indeed such a report - an inquiry and report has occurred - it's a matter for the Integrity Commission as to how and when if at all they publish the report or any reports in relation to an investigation," he said.

"I'm not able to comment on the matter you raise, nor indeed do I know of any such inquiry as far as I'm aware."

Greens leader Cassy O'Connor also asked Mr Hodgman how many of affected place notices - legal documents stating whether a site is covered by the Tasmanian Heritage Council, an action of the minister or the Historic Cultural Heritage Act - had been issued for sites with incorrect details identified in the recent audit.

The question was also taken on notice.

Ms Standen also asked, in relation to the issues recently uncovered, how many places were currently open to legal challenge and the resources committed to address them.

[Kings Meadows convict station listing raises heritage register doubts]

Mr Hodgman said additional resources were allocated to Heritage Tasmania in the form of a fixed term data and spatial officer in 2017 and two research officers in 2018.

He noted that the Heritage Council has worked hard on its review of amendment and replacement of existing entries and was developing a registration plan to guide ongoing work to improve its accuracy and access.

Dr Whittington said due to 2013 amendments to the Historic Cultural Heritage Act - which validated earlier entries with inadequate data - he had no concerns over the legal standing of the register.

"I believe that all of the entries on the register are deemed valid," Dr Whittington said.

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