The NSW Legislative Council’s Standing Committee on Social Issues has published its report on its review of the Heritage Act 1977 (NSW). The report makes 26 recommendations and agrees with the key recommendations we made in our submission. The NSW Government will respond to the report by April 2022. Read more

The Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia has released the much anticipated ‘Final report into the destruction of Indigenous heritage sites at Juukan Gorge’. In this post, we provide an overview of the key findings and recommendations of the report. Read more

On 25 August 2021, the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Amendment (Economic Empowerment) Bill 2021 (the Bill) was introduced into Australian Parliament. The Bill aims to empower Northern Territory Aboriginal peoples by activating the economic potential of their land. Read more

The Heritage Act 1977 (NSW) is under review and we have made a detailed submission. While there are parts of the Heritage Act which may benefit from review, we consider that wholesale repeal or revisiting of the Act is not necessary. What we would like to see is a benchmarking exercise to develop a cohesive, … Read more

On 13 May 2021, the NSW Legislative Council’s Standing Committee on Social Issues commenced a review of the Heritage Act 1977 (NSW) (Heritage Act). The proposed changes are intended to walk the fine line of making it easier and less expensive to own heritage property while also improving heritage outcomes. A tiered system for heritage protection and additional enforcement options are some of the items for consideration. The Committee is accepting submissions until 27 June 2021. Read more

Professor Graeme Samuels has released the Final Report on the Independent Review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) (EPBC Act), finding that Australia’s ‘current environmental trajectory is unsustainable’ and that the ‘EPBC Act is ineffective’. The Final Report proposes wide-ranging reforms, including the introduction of legally enforceable National Environmental Standards (NES), … Read more

After much anticipation, the WA State Government last week released for public consultation the draft Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Bill 2020. Submissions on the Draft Bill are due by 9 October 2020. Here we provide a brief snapshot of the Draft Bill and points for consideration in making a submission. Read more

The Victorian Government will establish a truth and justice process to formally recognise historic wrongs, and address ongoing injustices, for Aboriginal Victorians. Read more