Tougher penalties to protect NSW’s heritage jewels

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","dateModified":"2026-04-28T01:28:18Z","datePublished":"2026-04-28T01:28:18Z","description":"NSW’s 50-year-old heritage act will be replaced by legislation with “real penalties” on owners who allow demolition by neglect.","headline":"Tougher penalties to protect NSW’s heritage jewels","keywords":"Heritage, New South Wales, Land and Environment Court, Penny Sharpe, Just in SMH, Katoomba, Sydney, For subscribers","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Julie Power","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"/by/julie-power-hvf02"}],"mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/tougher-penalties-to-protect-nsw-s-heritage-jewels-20260427-p5zrbb.html","@type":"WebPage"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","height":"1322.6666666666665","url":"https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.26475%2C$multiply_0.7025%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1059%2C$x_0%2C$y_55/t_crop_custom/q_86%2Cf_auto/c0efe5a0b4cc22f1aee6796e18a1c0f7a8da6f38","width":"744"},"isAccessibleForFree":false,"hasPart":[{"@type":"WebPageElement","isAccessibleForFree":false,"cssSelector":".paywall"}],"publisher":{"@type":"NewsMediaOrganization","name":"The Sydney Morning Herald","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","height":"628","url":"https://www.smh.com.au/metro-assets/assets/static/smh.png","width":"1200"},"url":"https://www.smh.com.au"},"isPartOf":{"@type":["CreativeWork","Product"],"name":"The Sydney Morning Herald","productID":"smh.com.au:webonly"}}{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","item":{"@id":"https://www.smh.com.au/national","name":"National"},"position":1},{"@type":"ListItem","item":{"@id":"https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw","name":"NSW"},"position":2},{"@type":"ListItem","item":{"@id":"https://www.smh.com.au/topic/heritage-jpc","name":"Heritage"},"position":3}]}AdvertisementNationalNSWHeritageTougher penalties to protect NSW’s heritage jewelsJulie PowerApril 28, 2026 — 11:28amSaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items.Remove items from your saved list to add more.ShareAAANSW’s 50-year-old heritage act will be updated with “real penalties” on owners who allow demolition by neglect, Heritage Minister Penny Sharpe promised on Tuesday.The limits of the existing act’s powers had been on display, she said, as the state attempted to deal with two heritage-listed properties, Katoomba’s Paragon Café and Goulburn’s Kenmore Hospital.Heritage Minister Penny Sharpe at Trades Hall in Broken Hill. The building has been nominated for inclusion on the World Heritage list. Sharpe said the site was a “crucial symbol of the labour movement”.Compliance officers were doing their best to save these precious places, but were hampered by an old and out-of-date system, Sharpe said. New legislation will be introduced later this year.Kenmore Hospital Precinct, an early psychiatric hospital in Goulburn, is now largely derelict, and a court matter has been scheduled for mediation in September.AdvertisementSharpe’s department has also alleged the owner of the Paragon Café – the old art deco jewel in Katoomba’s crown – has breached an order to maintain the building.The owner John Landerer said he didn’t believe he was in breach: “We are doing everything to get it properly done.”The Paragon in Katoomba.Dion GeorgopolousLanderer said an error in the payment system – now rectified – had resulted in a security guard not being paid for two weeks around the time locals saw vandals graffiti the…

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