By working together we are improving protection for our important heritage places and in turn delivering flow-on employment, skills development and economic benefits to communities all around Australia.
Our natural and cultural heritage values are important drivers of regional economies. They are the linkages for communities with their history to share and build sustainable livelihoods.

We’ve long known our heritage places are important to the well-being of our community as they contribute to our national identity.

They also contribute to our economic prosperity.

The story said that the expenditure of $60 million resulted in the creation of 2750 jobs. So do the math – 2750 jobs for $60 million works out to $21,818 per job AND saved Australia’s heritage.

Then today here was the headline in the Washington Post: White House Trumpets reports on job creation.

The first paragraph reads as follows:
The White House on Friday embraced reports showing that the $159 billion and grants and loans made so far under the economic stimulus package has created or saved about 640,000 jobs.

So, again, do the math – 640,000 jobs for $159 billion works out to $248,000 per job.

That is 11 TIMES the cost per job as the Australian stimulus program. 11 TIMES!

Or, to put it differently, eleven jobs are created in Australian for the same amount of stimulus money that it takes to create one job here.

And Australia (and Norway, and France, and Slovakia, and Hong Kong, and Canada, and the Netherlands, and Luxembourg) all had heritage conservation as part of thier stimulus plans.

The US stimulus plan? Historic preservation didn’t make the cut.

Obviously there is no such thing as embarrassment, shame, or responsibility in Congress.