Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to search
Home

Top navigation main

  • News & media
  • Jobs
  • Ministers
  • Contact us
Main menu

AWE Main

  • Agriculture and land
    Agriculture and land Building stronger and more sustainable agriculture, fisheries, forestry and land care.
    • Animal health
    • Farming, food and drought
    • Fisheries
    • Forestry
    • Land
    • Climate change and agriculture
    • Plant health
    • Drought and rural support
    • Mouse infestation advice
    Xylella

    Protect against unwanted plant pests

    Our biosecurity system helps protects us. Everyone has a role in supporting our biosecurity system.

    Find out more

  • Water
    Water Improving the sustainable management of Australia’s water resources for agriculture, the environment and communities.
    • Coal, Coal seam gas (CSG) and water
    • Commonwealth Environmental Water Office
    • Water policy and resources
    • Wetlands
    Water matters

    Water Matters

    Keep up with the latest news on the department's work in managing Australia's water resources.

    Read the latest edition here

  • Environment
    Environment Improving stewardship and sustainable management of Australia’s environment.
    • Biodiversity
    • Bushfire recovery
    • Climate change and the environment
    • EPBC Act
    • Environmental information and data
    • International activities
    • Marine
    • Partnerships
    • Protection
    • Report a breach of environment law
    • Threatened species & ecological communities
    • Waste and recycling
  • Biosecurity and trade
    Biosecurity and trade Lowering biosecurity risks to Australia, and assisting industry to accelerate growth towards a $100 billion agricultural sector by 2030.
    • Aircraft, vessels and military
    • Biosecurity policy
    • Cats and dogs
    • Exporting
    • Importing
    • Invasive species
    • Pests, diseases and weeds
    • Public awareness and education
    • Trade and market access
    • Travelling or sending goods to Australia
    • Wildlife trade
    Brown marmorated stink bug

    BMSB Seasonal Measures

    Australia has strengthened seasonal measures to manage the risk of BMSB.

    View our seasonal measures

  • Parks and heritage
    Parks and heritage Managing Australia’s iconic national parks, historic places and living landscapes.
    • Australian Marine Parks
    • Australian National Botanic Gardens
    • Booderee National Park
    • Kakadu National Park
    • Christmas Island National Park
    • National parks
    • Norfolk Island National Park
    • Heritage
    • Pulu Keeling National Park
    • The Great Barrier Reef
    • Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park
    The reef

    Great Barrier Reef

    Australia is protecting and conserving this World Heritage Area.

    Find out more

  • Science and research
    Science and research Undertaking research and collecting data to support informed decisions and policies.
    • Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES)
    • Climate change
    • Australia's biological resources
    • National Environmental Science Program (NESP)
    • Our science strategy
    • Australian Biological Resource Study (ABRS)
    • State of the Environment (SoE) reporting
    • Bird and bat banding
    • Supervising Scientist
    Abares

    ABARES Insights

    Get 'snapshots’ of agricultural, forestry and fisheries industries, or analysis of key issues.

    Find out more

  • About us
    About us Enhancing Australia’s agriculture, environment, heritage and water resources through regulation and partnership.
    • Accountability and reporting
    • Assistance, grants and tenders
    • Contact us
    • Fees and charges
    • News and media
    • Our commitment to you
    • Payments
    • People and jobs
    • Publications
    • What we do
    • Who we are
    A day in the life

    A day in the life...

    Our video series showcases the diverse and important work we do.

    Find out more

  • Online services
    Online services We do business with you using online platforms. This makes it easier for you to meet your legal requirements.
Department of Agriculture

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Parks and heritage
  3. Heritage
  4. Heritage laws and notices
  5. Australian World Heritage laws

Sidebar first - EN - Heritage

  • Laws and notices
    • World heritage laws
    • Overseas heritage laws
    • National heritage laws
    • Commonwealth heritage laws
    • Indigenous heritage laws
      • Protection under state and territory laws

Australian World Heritage laws

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

From July 2000, Australia's World Heritage Properties are protected under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).

This Act provides automatic protection for World Heritage Properties by ensuring that an assessment process is undertaken for proposed actions that will, or are likely to, have a significant impact on the World Heritage values of a declared world heritage property. This process allows the Commonwealth Minister for the Environment (the Minister) to grant or refuse approval to take an action, and to impose conditions on the taking of an action.

The EPBC Act imposes substantial civil and criminal penalties on a person who takes an unlawful action.

  • Find out more about the EPBC Act

Australian world heritage places

All Australian properties that have been inscribed on the World Heritage list are automatically 'declared World Heritage Properties' and are therefore protected. The EPBC Act also gives the Commonwealth Minister for the Environment the power to declare other properties where:

  • the property has been nominated for, but not yet inscribed on the World Heritage list; or
  • the property has not been nominated for World Heritage listing but the Minister believes that the property contains World Heritage values that are under threat.
  • Find out about Australian places on the World Heritage list

Protecting and managing World Heritage places

The EPBC Act creates a mechanism for the Commonwealth and a State to enter bilateral agreements to achieve the requirements of the Act and to remove duplication of regulatory processes. This provides an avenue for formalising existing cooperative arrangements through Commonwealth accreditation of State World Heritage management plans and environmental impact assessment processes. In order to be accredited, the relevant State plan or process must be consistent with the Australian World Heritage management principles, which are regulations made under the EPBC Act.

The EPBC Act continues the existing joint management arrangements between the Commonwealth and the traditional owners of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Kakadu World Heritage Properties.

Previous Acts

The EPBC Act replaces and significantly improves on the World Heritage Properties Conservation Act 1983 (WHPC Act). The WHPC Act operated as a last resort mechanism for stopping specific actions. In contrast, the EPBC Act ensures protection and improved management for the world heritage values of Australia's World heritage properties.

Further information

  • EPBC Act Assessment and Approvals: World Heritage Properties
  • World Heritage Convention
Thanks for your feedback.
Thanks! Your feedback has been submitted.

We aren't able to respond to your individual comments or questions.
To contact us directly phone us or submit an online inquiry

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Please verify that you are not a robot.

Skip

Footer

  • Contact us
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • FOI
Last updated: 10 October 2021

© Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.