Commonwealth Heritage
About Commonwealth Heritage
The Commonwealth Heritage List, established under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), comprises natural, Indigenous and historic heritage places on Commonwealth lands and waters or under Australian Government control. Places on the List have been identified by the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (the Minister) as having Commonwealth heritage values.
The List can include places connected to defence, communications, customs and other government activities.
Review the Commonwealth Heritage List
The Commonwealth Heritage listing process
Amendments to the EPBC Act in February 2007 established a more strategic process for listing Commonwealth heritage places and introduced an assessment cycle. The assessment cycle will allow priorities and work programs focussing on those places most likely to the have Commonwealth heritage values to be set.
Anyone can nominate a place with significant heritage values for the Commonwealth Heritage List. Each year, the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (the Minister) invites nominations. Nomination kits are available from the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. The nominated places are assessed by the Australian Heritage Council against a set criteria and a recommendation made to the Minister. The final decision on listing is made by the Minister.
Find out more about listing a heritage place
The Commonwealth Heritage List criteria
When a place is nominated to be included on the Commonwealth Heritage List, the Australian Heritage Council assesses the heritage value of that place against nine criteria, and significance thresholds.
Find out more about the Commonwealth Heritage List criteria
Protecting places on the Commonwealth Heritage List
Places that are included in the Commonwealth Heritage List are protected under the provisions of the EPBC Act.
Managing Commonwealth Heritage places
To protect the heritage values of Commonwealth Heritage Places they own or lease, Australian Government agencies are required to develop heritage strategies, a heritage register, and management plans for places on the Commonwealth Heritage List in accordance with the Commonwealth Heritage management principles.
Find out more about managing Commonwealth Heritage places
Heritage places on multiple lists
Values of places on the Commonwealth Heritage List might be protected under more than one provision of the Act. For example, a Commonwealth Heritage Place might also be on the National Heritage List or the World Heritage List.
Where this is the case, the Act may prescribe additional management requirements and/or principles. A plan for managing a Commonwealth Heritage place can be in the same document as other plans that the Act or another Commonwealth law requires or permits (s.341W).
To avoid duplication, agencies must not make a plan for managing a Commonwealth Heritage place that is in a Commonwealth reserve and covered by another plan under the Act. A similar provision applies to the Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands (s.341U).
Quick Links
Key
Links to another web site
Opens a pop-up window