The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, has tabled the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage and an associated National Interest Analysis in the Australian Parliament for consideration by the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties. This action commences the formal consideration of ratification of this Treaty by Australia.
If Australia ratifies the Convention, it will support the better protection of underwater cultural heritage and will facilitate better collaboration with other regional States to protect their underwater cultural heritage.
The Australian Government currently protects approximately 8000 shipwreck and submerged aircraft sites and approximately 500,000 protected artefacts recovered from those sites through the Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018.
