The term icon and its adjective iconic are overused and mis-used words.  Derived from the Greek words ikon and eikon, they originally referred to a likeness or image and were used to refer to a figure or representation in the form of a statue or painting, usually of some sacred religious person.  Today the term seems to be used to describe places and people, deserving of consideration above all others, but there is an emerging trend to indiscriminately use the word pejoratively to add emphasis to an assertion or statement. 

The Iconic Queensland Places Bill 2008 was introduced on the first sitting day of Queensland's Parliament in 2008 and was assented to commence on 6 March 2008.  The IQP Act uses the adjective iconic in the context of places but re-defines the meaning of the term in the context of Queensland's character.  According to the IQP Act, a place is iconic if the Minister for Infrastructure and Planning thinks that it has characteristics or qualities in its natural or built environment that reflect or contribute in a substantial way to that character.1   However the IQP Act does not attempt to explain what is meant by Queensland's character.

Click on the PDF to download this paper in full.