| The Abbotsford Convent place has outstanding historic value because of the site's strong capacity to demonstrate the course and pattern of welfare provision in Australia from the mid - nineteenth century to the mid - twentieth century. The history of welfare provision in Australia mirrors the course and pattern of social change in Australia. These changes inform our understanding of ourselves as Australians in the communities and broader society we live in. The development of social institutions in Australia also has a defining impact on Australian life and reflects the collective effort made by Australians to support each other in our communities and wider society. The significant role and influence of religious institutions in the development of Australia's welfare system is particularly evident at Abbotsford Convent. The models of care demonstrated at the Abbotsford Convent mostly reflect patterns of welfare provision developed prior to the establishment of a secular, government system of defined benefits. During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, secular or religious institutions were a primary way of delivering services to people facing poverty or other forms of difficulty or disadvantage. Compared with modern standards and from a contemporary perspective, conditions in nineteenth century institutions were harsh and cruel. Care institutions were also used to house Indigenous children involuntarily removed from their families by government policies. Abbotsford Convent, established in one of the then poorest districts of Melbourne, initially offered a refuge for women, responding in part to a noticeable increase in social and community stress which was impacting on families and women in particular. An orphanage was also established. Over time the Convent expanded to include an early industrial school, a reformatory school for young offenders, a women's refuge and a catholic day school. These places were all located within the wider ecclesiastical setting made up of the Convent 'mother' house, the Chapel and the garden with its recreation and contemplative areas. These facilities were established and operated by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd Order; an order established to help women and girls facing social hardship and exclusion. The Convent's working farm and large commercial laundry provided the Convent with an important source of revenue for its operation and institutional activities. Work in the farm and laundry formed elements of the rehabilitation, training and reform programs at the Convent. The construction of programs like these and the consequential treatment of girls and young children reflect the values of the time. In the nineteenth century women's lives were largely restricted to the home with little outside opportunities for work. Women's behaviour was also subject to strict and gendered codes of conduct. The particular needs of young children were also poorly understood. Over the course of the twentieth century practices changed from those characterised by control to a system based on children's rights. Benefits began to be provided by governments in more direct forms of assistance. By the 1960s and 1970s institutionalisation was abandoned and replaced by a community based system of service delivery. Residential care institutions impacted on a significant number of Australians. Their experiences were acknowledged in the national Apology to Australia's Indigenous Peoples in 2008 and to the Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants in 2009. The harm of institutionalisation and the trauma often experienced by residents is acknowledged as being part of the heritage of this place. Features expressing the overall national significance of the Abbotsford Convent include but are not limited to the whole Convent complex within the place boundary. All of the existing buildings and their layout prior to the Convent's closure in the 1970s are significant. The Convent gardens, courtyards and former Convent farm are also significant. Features expressing specific aspects of the national significance of Abbotsford Convent include but are not limited to the following items: In relation to the Convent Chapel, the Chapel's location near to the former Convent building, its function as a place of worship and the features demonstrating the management and control of girls in care are significant. Management and control measures include but are not limited to the evidence of separation of girls in the seating layout of the chapel and the separate entrances to the Chapel. In relation to the former Convent building, features demonstrating the residential use and operation of this building as a convent and centre of care institution management are significant. The architectural style of the building reflecting its 'French order' heritage is significant. Items of particular significance in relation to the Convent building include but are not limited to the Provincial Superior's room, the Bishop's Parlour including its interior fireplace and distinctive interior room decoration, the Breakfast Parlour, the Salon with decorative frieze and other rooms reflecting the use of the building for the housing of resident novitiates and nuns (cells, dormitories, dining, recreation and work spaces) and other supportive functions including the kitchen. The significance of these additional items reside in their ability to demonstrate the function of the Convent and the living conditions and or experiences of residents in the Convent. In relation to the remaining asylum buildings the built structures, internal rooms and outdoor spaces demonstrating the function of the asylum and the way of life and lived experiences of those resident at the Convent during the nineteenth century and early to mid-twentieth century are significant. Buildings of particular significance include but are not limited to Sacred Heart, the industrial school, the laundry (north and south), the stables, Rosina, St Mary's, St Euphrasia, Providence, Mercator and St Anne's. Items which demonstrate confinement and segregation of classes of residents like gates, window bars, the remnant original convent walls, fences and paths are significant. Places used for 'overseeing' residents and the features, like windows, which made this possible are also significant. The layout and size of interior rooms which reflect the living and working conditions of residents is significant. The 'front' gate entrance to the Convent off Clarke Street is also significant as the former formal entry point to the institution. The enclosed and gated Sacred Heart courtyard is also significant as a place demonstrating confinement. Some specific interior rooms are also significance because they demonstrate the working and living conditions of residents of the Convent asylum. These rooms include but are not limited to the Rosina auditorium and theatre, the Rosina visiting parlour room, the Oratory, 'Granary' and the Sacred Heart infirmary. In relation to the 'Monastic' gardens, their ability to demonstrate the living conditions and experiences of the sisters and girls in care is significant. Items of particular significance include but are not limited to the convent courtyard garden to the north of the Convent building (and enclosed by the Convent building) and the informal garden to the south of the convent, Rosina and Sacred Heart. In relation to the 'Monastic' farm surrounding the former Convent complex the maintenance of a wide, open space reflecting the former use of the river frontage area for the production of food (including the grazing of cows) for the Convent is significant. In relation to the laundry buildings, built features demonstrating the size and function of the laundry are significant. |