Heritage at a crossroads: Are we still assessing the Australia of yesterday?

A talk by heritage lawyer Theodora Gianniotis

When: Saturday 22 August 2026. 10.00 for 10.30 start.

Where: Pavilion Room, Marrickville Public Library, Cnr Marrickville and Livingstone Roads.

Australia has evolved into one of the world’s most culturally diverse nations, yet many heritage assessments continue to focus on traditional narratives centred on colonial and architectural significance.

This presentation explores whether our current heritage framework adequately recognises the places, stories and cultural landscapes that reflect post-war migration and multicultural Australia. It will consider how heritage professionals, planners and communities can better identify and protect the rich and evolving history of migrant communities, asking whether our approach to heritage has kept pace with the society it seeks to represent.

Theodora Gianniotis is a heritage consultant, planning lawyer and Principal of Built Environmental Heritage Group and BEH Legal. She specialises in the intersection of heritage conservation, planning and property law, advising on heritage impact assessments, development applications, adaptive reuse and heritage strategy across New South Wales.