Indigenous Cultural Heritage Protection Program

Abstract

lished an Indigenous Cultural Heritage Protection Program as part of the Distinctly Australian Policy Statement. The Program is managed by the Heritage Protection Section (in the Department of Communication and the Arts) with the Australian Heritage Commission (AHC), the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) and the Australian Nature Conservation Agency (ANCA). The Program is funded at $500,000 (1993-94), continuing in 1994-95. Further initiatives are dependent on future funding. The aim of the Program is improving the protection of places significant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It has three components: 1. Project A Development of a set of principles and guidelines to foster best practice in managing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander places, after extensive consultation with major interest groups. 2. Project B Development of a training project for people who are responsible for making decisions about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander places. 3. Project C An Exemplar Site Project to demonstrate the application of the guidelines and principles. The Program is guided by a Steering Committee with members representing the major heritage agencies involved in the Program AHC, AIATSIS, ACDO, ANCA, as well as the Australian Centre for Cultural Heritage Science Studies, the council member of AIATSIS for Queensland, and a representative of the research community. Two advisory panels also guide the Program the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel and the Professional Advisory Panel. The progress of each Project during 1994 is outlined below.