In December 1989, Newcastle NSW experienced the first earthquake to affect significantly an urban area in Australia, resulting in the death of 13 people and extensive damage to masonry buildings. The most important building to be severely damaged was Christ Church Cathedral, which dominates the skyline of the city.

Australia lies completely within a continental plate and has not been considered as a "seismic" zone as are locations like California and Japan, which are near plate boundaries. Academic research has concentrated on earthquakes at plate boundaries leading to a sense of complacency in locations away from these regions. Certainly, the size of earthquakes at plate boundaries ("interplate earthquakes") is potentially much greater than those elsewhere ("intraplate earthquakes"), but the different characteristics of intraplate earthquakes can make them just as damaging as their better known counterparts. It is often conveniently forgotten that the most devastating earthquake in the USA occurred well away from California (New Madrid, Missouri, 1811-12).

Intraplate earthquakes had previously occurred in Australia in sparsely populated regions and, according to the applicable Australian Standard in 1989, Newcastle was located in a "zero" seismic zone, as was most of the populated eastern seaboard. In consequence most practicing structural engineers and building authorities in Australia knew little, if anything, about earthquake design requirements. That situation has changed dramatically, and the history of the damage and repairs to Christ Church Cathedral is a good illustration of the evolution of Australian practice.

The structural engineering design of a project such as the Cathedral can be undertaken in a number of ways and, as is usually the case with structural design, different engineers will come up with different valid solutions. Working on a heritage building introduces its own discipline which, in Australia, is governed by the Burra Charter, a document of Australia ICOMOS derived from the world body’s Venice Charter. Establishment of heritage significance is the first step in the process of conservation under the Burra Charter.

The Heritage significance of Christ Church Cathedral is embodied in its material fabric (including its structural systems), its architecture, its setting, its contents and what it represents to people.

To best understand this significance, a methodical process of collecting and analyzing all of the information, both physical and documentary, was required particularly prior to the major decision-making processes that come after extreme environmental events such as the 1989 Newcastle Earthquake.

The Christ Church experiences genuinely reinforce these principles. For six years following the Newcastle earthquake, the former Consultants, the client (The Anglican Diocese of Newcastle), the Insurance Company (NZI Insurance) and Statutory Authorities struggled with decision-making at every level.