The Federal Register of Legislation (the Legislation Register) is the authorised whole-of-government website for Commonwealth legislation and related documents. It contains the full text and details of the lifecycle of individual laws and the relationships between them.The Legislation Register is managed by the Office of Parliamentary Counsel in accordance with the Legislation Act 2003.
Here are some relevant pieces of legislation for Australasian Registrars Committee members:
Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986
The Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986 protects Australia’s movable cultural heritage and provides for the return of foreign cultural property which has been illegally exported from its country of origin and imported into Australia. It gives effect to Australia’s agreement to the UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property 1970.
If you buy cultural material in Australia or from overseas, you need to do your research before buying to ensure your purchase is compliant with relevant cultural property laws.
Protection of Cultural Objects on Loan Act 2013
An Act to encourage the loan of objects from overseas for temporary public exhibition in Australia, and for related purposes.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984
The purposes of this Act are the preservation and protection from injury or desecration of areas and objects in Australia and in Australian waters, being areas and objects that are of particular significance to Aboriginals in accordance with Aboriginal tradition.
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
Institutions must comply with the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) to ensure Australia meets its obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora 1975 (CITES Convention). The EPBC Act establishes a permit system to allow the import and export of specimens listed by the CITES Convention, including for non-commercial purposes. It also provides the framework for domestic measures regulating trade in particular species, which is stricter than that required by the CITES Convention. Institutions should not acquire or borrow objects or material made of, or including parts or derivatives of, flora and fauna included in any appendix to the CITES Convention if the object or material has been traded without appropriate permits or in contravention of the Convention.
Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018
This Act provides for the protection of Australia’s underwater cultural heritage.
Different kinds of articles of underwater cultural heritage are, or can be, protected, depending on the kinds of articles, their heritage significance and their location.