Complaints about heritage advisors

We strongly encourage you to read the information on this page before completing the online complaint form.

First Peoples State Relations (FPSR) has a process for considering complaints about the conduct of heritage advisors.

The Code of Conduct for Heritage Advisors (the Code) sets out what you can expect from heritage advisors in the way they do their work.

If you have concerns about how a heritage advisor is conducting themselves, you should try to raise the issue directly with them in the first instance, if possible.

You can make a complaint to FPSR if:

you are not satisfied with how a heritage advisor responds to concerns you raise, or
you feel you are not able to raise a concern directly with them.

Complaints should be made via our online complaint form.

What you can make a complaint about

Complaints should be about something a heritage advisor is doing, or not doing, that is not in line with the Code.

The Code sets out expectations under the four principles of:

cultural respect
professional integrity
compliance
ongoing professional development.

All heritage advisors who are on the public Heritage Advisor List have agreed in writing to uphold the code.

FPSR only considers complaints that fall within the scope of the Code.
Your complaint must be based on your own direct experience or what you personally witnessed. FPSR will not pursue complaints that rely only on what someone else told you.
We also cannot pursue the following:
Commercial and workplace safety disputes
- Payments and contracts: We cannot help with financial or contract disputes between a sponsor and a heritage advisor. For these issues, contact Consumer Affairs Victoria(opens in a new window).
- Workplace safety: If your complaint is about safety at a worksite, please contact WorkSafe Victoria(opens in a new window).
Legal breaches and heritage harm
Do not use the complaints form if you believe a heritage advisor is engaged in activities that breach the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006, such as:
- conduct which breaches conditions on a Cultural Heritage Permit or Cultural Heritage Management Plan, or
- activities that harm or are likely to harm Aboriginal cultural heritage.
Instead, contact the FPSR Enforcement & Compliance Team immediately.
Contact the Enforcement & Compliance Team:
- Email: compliance.fpsr@dpc.vic.gov.au
- Phone: 1800 762 003
Complaints being handled elsewhere
FPSR will not progress a complaint if:
- It is already being looked at by a court, a professional body, or another dispute resolution service.
- The events happened in another state or territory.
Where your complaint is about a heritage advisor who is a member of any of the three following professional associations, you should first consider making your complaint to that association.
- Australian Association of Consulting Archaeologists Inc – see their code of ethics and complaint procedure
- Professional Historians Australia, including its affiliate Professional Historians Association (Vic & Tas) – see their code of ethics
- Australian Anthropological Society – see their code of ethics.
Each of these bodies has a code of ethics or professional conduct with avenues for raising complaints. We will not revisit a complaint that has already been dealt with by one of these bodies. You can make a complaint to FPSR if you believe your complaint is not covered by the professional body’s code, or is an issue specifically about what heritage advisors need to do under the Act and its regulations, or is about FPSR guidance such as practice notes.

Who can submit a complaint about a heritage advisor?

Anyone who interacts with the work of a heritage advisor can make a complaint. This includes:

Sponsors and site managers
Traditional Owners
Registered Aboriginal Parties (RAPs) and their employees
Other heritage advisors.

The complaint process

Steps of the complaints process

Download 'Steps of the complaints process'

To make a complaint, please use our online complaint form.
When filling out the form, you will need to provide:
- Your personal contact details
- Clear information about the issue
- Any steps you have already taken to resolve the matter
- Your desired outcome
- The specific part of the Code you believe has been breached.
Notifying the heritage advisor
If your complaint is within scope and we have enough information to proceed, FPSR needs to tell a heritage advisor that a complaint has been made about them.
We must give the heritage advisor the general details of the complaint so they can respond to the issues raised. This is known as procedural fairness (or a "right of reply").
Protecting your privacy
FPSR will only share your name and the details of your complaint with the heritage advisor if you give us your express permission.
Please be aware that even if we do not share your name, it may nevertheless be possible for the heritage advisor to still be able to determine a complainant's identity based on the specific details of the situation.
Anonymous complaints
You can choose to remain anonymous, but please consider the following:
- Unable to follow-up: We cannot contact you for more information or ask for your permission to seek a response from the heritage advisor
- Limited outcomes: Without your contact details or the ability to verify specific facts, our options for resolving the complaint may be limited.
Once FPSR has information from both you and the heritage advisor, the Complaints Advisory Panel will consider the complaint.
This panel includes experts from across the heritage sector, including:
- Heritage consultants
- Traditional Owners
- Members of Registered Aboriginal Party (RAP) organizations
- Industry and development bodies.
Panel members must sign confidentiality agreements and declare any conflicts of interest.
Reaching a decision
The panel’s role is to provide independent and impartial advice. They provide recommendations to the Director of Heritage Services.
The Director reviews the panel's advice and decides on the final outcome of the complaint.
FPSR can:
- Issue a warning letter: We may warn the heritage advisor about their conduct and outline how they must improve
- Remove the heritage advisor from the Heritage Advisor List: Where serious or repeated failures to uphold the Code are established, we may remove a heritage advisor from the Heritage Advisor List. We may also provide a conditional pathway for how to reapply in future
- Request a meeting: We may ask to meet with the heritage advisor. You may be invited to attend this meeting, but it is not always required
- Take no further action: This happens if the complaint is out of scope, or lacks sufficient information
- Improve our own services: We may consider your complaint to inform how we can improve FPSR policies, processes, and guidance.
If the advisor has not signed the Code of Conduct
If a complaint is about a heritage advisor who has not signed the Code, FPSR can still write to them. We will use the Code as a guide to suggest how they can improve their professional conduct.
Disputes about Cultural Heritage Management Plans
If a complaint is about a dispute relating to the evaluation of a cultural heritage management plan by a RAP, FPSR can recommend that the RAP and/or sponsor refer the dispute to the Chairperson of the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council under section 113 of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006.
Request an internal review
If you are the person who made the complaint (the complainant) or the heritage advisor, you can ask FPSR to review the decision.
- Timeline: You must make this request within 20 business days of receiving the decision
- How to apply: Email the Executive Director, Community Relations and Heritage at heritageadvisorcomplaints@dpc.vic.gov.au(opens in a new window)
- What to include: Clearly explain why you believe the decision should be reconsidered.
Contact the Victorian Ombudsman
If you are unhappy with how FPSR handled your complaint, you can contact the Victorian Ombudsman. This is an independent body that investigates the actions of government departments.
Action: Lodge a complaint with the Victorian Ombudsman(opens in a new window).

Make your complaint

Heritage advisor complaint form

Complete our online form to make your complaint about a heritage advisor

Start my complaint form

Updated 12 March 2026