Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2023L00437:body:0:p200
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2023L00437
Segment Type: other
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Character Range: 639783–643092

by the Australian Heritage Council.

       In accordance with the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 a place has a Commonwealth Heritage value if it meets one of the Commonwealth Heritage criteria (section 341D).

       A place meets the Commonwealth Heritage listing criterion if the place has significant heritage value because of one or more of the following:

           a)             The place's importance in the course, or pattern, of Australia's natural or cultural history;

b)             The place's possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Australia's natural or cultural history;

c)              The place's potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Australia's natural or cultural history;

           d)             The place's importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of:

                1. a class of Australia's natural or cultural places; or

              ii.            a class of Australia's natural or cultural environments;

e)             The place's importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics valued by a community or cultural group;

f)               The place's importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period;

g)             The place's strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons;

h)             The place's special association with the life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in Australia's natural or cultural history; and

i)                The place's importance as part of Indigenous tradition.

       Thresholds

       While a place can be assessed against the above criteria for its heritage value, this may not always be sufficient to determine whether it is worthy of inclusion on the Commonwealth Heritage List. The Australian Heritage Council may also need to use a second test, by applying a 'significance threshold', to help it decide. This test helps the Council to judge the level of significance of a place's heritage value by asking 'just how important are these values?'

       To be entered on the Commonwealth Heritage List a place will usually be of local or state-level significance.

       Commonwealth Heritage Management Principles

       In addition to the above criteria and thresholds, Schedule 7B of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000 (Regulation 10.03D) lists the Commonwealth Heritage Management Principles. These principles are:

            1. The objective in managing Commonwealth Heritage places is to identify, protect, conserve, present and transmit, to all generations, their Commonwealth Heritage values.

2.              The management of Commonwealth Heritage places should use the best available knowledge, skills and standards for those places, and include ongoing technical and community input to decisions and actions that may have a significant impact on their Commonwealth Heritage values.

3.              The management of Commonwealth Heritage places should respect all heritage values of the place and seek to integrate, where appropriate, any Commonwealth, State, Territory and local government responsibilities for