Australian Heritage Council

The Australian Heritage Council is the principal adviser to the Australian Government on heritage matters. It was established on 19 February 2004. The Council replaced the Australian Heritage Commission as the Australian Government's independent expert advisory body on heritage matters when the new Commonwealth heritage system was introduced in 2004 under amendments to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The Council assesses nominations for the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritage List. The Minister may ask the Council for advice on action that he may take in relation to the List of Overseas Places of Historic Significance to Australia.^[1]

Role

The Council plays a key role in assessment, advice and policy formulation and support of major heritage programs. Its main responsibilities are to:

assess places for the National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritage List
nominate places for inclusion in the National Heritage List or Commonwealth Heritage List
promote the identification, assessment, conservation and monitoring of heritage
advise the Minister on various heritage matters including the preparation and amendment of heritage strategies and management plans for Commonwealth areas and agencies^[2]