Heritage

Laws and public notices

National heritage laws

The National Heritage List is a list of places with outstanding heritage value to our nation, including places overseas. These places are protected under the Australian Government's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).

Matters of national environmental significance

National heritage is one of seven matters of national environmental significance (NES matters) specifically protected by the EPBC Act.

By law, no one can take any action that has, will have, or is likely to have, a significant impact on any of these matters without approval. There are penalties for those who do. An action includes a project, development, undertaking, an activity or series of activities.

The seven matters of national environmental significance are:

  1. Australia's World Heritage properties
  2. national heritage
  3. Ramsar wetlands of international importance
  4. nationally threatened animal and plant species and ecological communities that are listed under the EPBC Act (Note: these species and communities may not be the same as those listed under state legislation)
  5. migratory animal species that are listed under the EPBC Act (these are migratory species protected under international agreements)
  6. nuclear actions, including uranium mining
  7. Commonwealth marine areas (generally Australian waters beyond the three nautical mile limit of state waters).

If you are proposing to take an action that will have, or is likely to have, a significant impact on the National Heritage values of a National Heritage place and/or any other NES matter, you must refer that action to the Australian Government Minister for the Environment and Water Resources.

The Minister for the Environment and Water Resources will decide whether the action will, or is likely to, have a significant impact on a matter of national environmental significance.

Find out more:

Heritage public notices

Public notices under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation 1999 (EPBC) Act:

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Macquarie Island. Photo: Noel Carmichael.

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