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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Kelly Burke

Bob Carr is up for a debate: can Australia treasure its historic buildings without romanticising them?

Former NSW premier Bob Carr
As the person in charge of some of NSW’s most historic buildings, former premier Bob Carr wants ‘to avoid romanticising uncritically the post-1788 settlement of Australia’. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian

After years in the public eye, Bob Carr is turning his attention to historic buildings – and he says we should be prepared to have a debate.

As New South Wales premier, Carr led the state for more than a decade, serving as its arts minister throughout that time. In July, he was appointed as chair of the federal government’s chief heritage advisory body, the Australian Heritage Council. And last week, he was appointed as chair of Museums of History NSW, the body that oversees the Mint, Hyde Park Barracks, the Justice and Police Museum and the Museum of Sydney, as well as some of Australia’s oldest stately homes, such as Elizabeth Bay House, Vaucluse House and Rouse Hill Estate.

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