Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006
Aboriginal cultural heritage in Victoria is protected in law by the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 (the Act).
The Act creates a system to protect and manage cultural heritage in Victoria.
The Act makes it illegal to harm Aboriginal cultural heritage unless a relevant approval has been received. The Act provides the processes to obtain approvals and the key parties who decide the approvals.
At the heart of the Victorian system is the principle that Aboriginal people have power to make decisions about the protection and management of cultural heritage. This is the principle of self-determination.
Read the full Act and its Regulations.
Self-determination
Aboriginal Victorians have fought for self-determination and their right to make decisions on matters that affect their lives and communities for decades. The Victorian Government enables self-determination by ensuring Aboriginal Victorians are at the heart of decision-making on the matters that affect their lives.
Read about the government’s commitment to self-determination.
Aboriginal cultural heritage
Ancestral Remains
The remains of an Aboriginal person from the past. Victoria’s laws recognise that First Peoples are best placed to care for Ancestral Remains and have the right to lay their Ancestors to rest on Country.
Tangible cultural heritage
Aboriginal places and objects such as rock art, fish traps, scarred trees and stone tools. Physical things that can be seen and touched, and important places where cultural heritage is found.
Intangible cultural heritage
Traditional Aboriginal knowledge including oral traditions, arts, stories, rituals, festivals, social practices, craft, and environmental and ecological knowledge.
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