The Queensland Government Department of Environment and Heritage Protection is seeking feedback on a discussion paper Our heritage: A collaborative effort – a review of the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. AAA will be making a submission on this paper, any members who are interested in providing comment should contact the AAA Secretary (secretary@australianarchaeology.com) by 13 June 2014 so we can coordinate the AAA response.

The paper and submission form are available here: http://www.ehp.qld.gov.au/heritage/heritage-act-review.html.

Consultation closes 20 June 2014.

The discussion paper proposes changes to Queensland Heritage Act which aim to:

• modernise the Heritage Act and clarify its intent
• reduce unnecessary regulatory burden, particularly on heritage property owners and proponents
• strengthen legislative protections for Queensland’s heritage places, while also promoting development
• reinforce the important role played by local government in local heritage protection.

Of particular relevance to archaeological places is Part 4 Archaeology (page 12-13). This section proposes:

• the Archaeological Place category by integrated into the State Heritage Place Category
• the process for outcomes following a discovery be more clearly set out and the provisions relating to a discovery of an artefact be aligned to the heritage registration process
• aircraft in the sea for more than 75 years be protected through the Heritage Act.