Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Laws in Tasmania
Summary
Key takeaways
In Tasmania, Aboriginal Cultural Heritage, which includes objects, sites or places of significance to the Aboriginal people of Tasmania (including ancestral remains), is dealt with under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1975 (Tas).
Unless authorised by the Tasmanian Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, it is an offence under the Act to:
- destroy, damage, deface or conceal an object, site or place
- destroy, damage or remove an object
- copy a carving or engraving through direct contact
- sell, exchange or dispose of an object or a deceptive replica
- dig up Crown Land to search for Aboriginal Heritage.
For declared protected sites, it is an offence under the Act to:
- destroy, damage, conceal, excavate or carry out an act likely to endanger a protected object
- harm or interfere with any infrastructure (e.g. fencing)
- remove a protected object from the site.
Key actions
- Report threats or damage to Aboriginal Cultural Heritage to Aboriginal Heritage Tasmania
- Report a potential Aboriginal Heritage object, site or place to Aboriginal Heritage Tasmania
- Write to the Tasmanian Minister for Aboriginal Affairs asking for land to be declared as a protected site
- Nominate Cultural Heritage for listing on the Tasmanian Heritage Register
- Apply to the Federal Minister for the Environment for a declaration to protect Cultural Heritage under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 (Cth)
