Vernacular heritage and evolving environmental policy in Australia: Lessons from the Murray-Darling Outreach Project

The interface between environmentalism and neoliberalism in industrialised nations is dynamic and evolving with each of these significant socio-political movements exerting influence on the other. In the context of Australian environmental policy, ideas of heritage, sense of place and belonging are increasingly invoked to support the current policy emphasis on the role of regional communities for realising goals for land and water conservation and environmental restoration. To explore the broader meaning and consequences of these developments, we focus on the manner in which ideas of heritage are employed and evoked within the Murray-Darling Outreach Project, a collaboration between the Murray-Darling Basin Commission, a key natural resource management agency, and the National Museum of Australia. The Murray-Darling Outreach Project has the aim of increasing community involvement in local environmental issues by promoting ideas of vernacular heritage.