The Australian Heritage Council is a body of heritage experts established by the Australian Heritage Council Act 2003. The Council replaced the Australian Heritage Commission as the Australian Government's independent expert advisory body on heritage matters when the new Commonwealth heritage system was introduced in 2004 under amendments to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Council members
The Chair, six other members and up to two associate members are all appointed by the Minister. The Chair must have substantial experience or expertise concerning heritage while two members must be similarly qualified in natural heritage, two in historic heritage and two must be Indigenous persons with substantial experience or expertise in Indigenous heritage, at least one of who must represent the interests of Indigenous people. An associate member must have expertise in any one of these areas.
The Hon Ted Baillieu AO (Chair)
The Hon Ted Baillieu AO served as Premier of Victoria and Minister for the Arts from 2010 to 2013. He was a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2014, representing the electorate of Hawthorn, and in 2006 was elected leader of the Victorian Liberal Party. Since 2013, Mr Baillieu has been Adjunct Professor at Swinburne University, School of Design, and Melbourne University's Honorary Enterprise Professor associated with the Faculty of Architecture, Building & Planning.
Mr Baillieu Co-Chaired the Victorian Government’s Cladding Task Force (2017-2019), and Chaired the Victorian Government's ANZAC Centenary Committee – coordinating Victoria's commemorations (2013-2019). He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects and Patron of a number of organisations including Multicultural Arts Victoria, Public Record Office of Victoria, The Sovereign Hill Museums Association, Queenscliffe Historical Museum, Friends of Auburn Uniting Church Tower, Australia India Chamber of Commerce, and is Chieftain of the Victorian Highland Pipe Band Association and a Member of the Selection Panels for the Rhodes Scholarship and John Monash Foundation Scholars.
In 2017 Mr Baillieu joined the Committee of the Melbourne Cricket Club and in 2020 he was appointed to the Board of Australia-India Council. Formerly Mr Baillieu was a Trustee of the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre Trust and Board Member of Tourism Victoria and the Australian Children’s’ Television Foundation. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2020 for his service to the people and Parliament of Victoria and to international engagement.
Professor Helen Lochhead (historic heritage expert)
Professor Helen Lochhead is currently Pro Vice-Chancellor, Precincts at UNSW Sydney and has worked in both the public and private sectors providing advice to government on a wide range of heritage, planning and development matters. Professor Lochhead has over 30 years’ experience in planning, architecture, heritage, urban and landscape design and development.
Professor Elizabeth Vines OAM (historic heritage expert)
Professor Elizabeth Vines OAM is a partner at McDougall & Vines Conservation and Heritage Consultants, has over 40 years’ experience with practical conservation projects and preparation of conservation policies, and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2009 for service to heritage architecture in South Australia and South East Asia. From 2012 to 2015, Professor Vines was President of the Australia International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and is currently the ICOMOS Focal Point for the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) Recommendation.
Mr Jamie Lowe (Indigenous heritage expert)
Mr Jamie Lowe is a Gunditjmara Djabwurrung man and CEO of the National Native Title Council (NNTC). Jamie is an elected representative on the historic Victorian Treaty Assembly and elected Chair of the Treaty negotiating framework. Jamie has a background in both government and non-government sectors and has expertise and skills in management, strategic planning, governance and economic development. Jamie believes that creating economic independence and maintaining and growing cultural identity are key to creating a self-determining nation of First Nations peoples and he continues to advocate for the rights of First Nations People both in Victoria and across the country.
Ms Leah Cameron (Indigenous heritage expert)
Ms Leah Cameron is a proud Trawlwoolway (Palawa) woman and Principal Solicitor and owner of Marrawah Law Pty Ltd, one of the largest Indigenous owned and operated law firms in Australia. Ms Cameron has worked as a supervising litigation officer with the North Queensland Land Council and previously worked as a senior project officer/legal advisor for the Aboriginal Heritage Office, Department of Tourism, Arts and Environment (Tasmania).
Dr Steve Morton (Natural heritage expert)
Dr Steve Morton is an Honorary Fellow with CSIRO. He studied at the Universities of Melbourne, California, Irvine and Sydney. He joined CSIRO in Alice Springs to work in the desert environment that has long been his focus. Subsequently he helped lead CSIRO as Chief of Division and Executive Team member. In 2011 he returned to live in Alice Springs, from where he serves on a variety of boards and committees relating to environmental and natural resource management.
Professor Kerrie Wilson (Natural heritage expert)
Professor Kerrie Wilson is the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability Strategy) at Queensland University of Technology and Affiliated Professor at The University of Copenhagen. Kerrie was previously the Executive Director of the QUT Institute for Future Environments, and the Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions and an ARC Future Fellow at The University of Queensland. She is the Australian Natural Sciences Commissioner for UNESCO, a member of the Australian Heritage Council and the Great Barrier Reef 2050 Plan Independent Expert Panel. Kerrie has two decades of experience leading and conducting research. She is particularly interested in applied resource allocation problems, such as how to invest limited resources to protect or restore biodiversity. Kerrie has received numerous national awards, including the Prime Minister's Prize for Life Scientist of the Year and the Australian Academy of Science Nancy Millis Medal for Women in Science.
Past council members
From 2005
Mr Tom Harley (Chair) - VIC
Terms: 03 May 2007 - 02 May 2010 (reappointed)
20 February 2004 - 19 February 2007
Mr Roger Beale AO (Historic Expert) - ACT
Terms: 17 March 2004 - 16 March 2007
Dr Jane Lennon AM (Historic Expert) - QLD
Terms: 03 May 2007 - 02 November 2008 (reappointed)
20 February 2004 - 19 February 2007
Dr Denis Saunders (Natural Expert) - VIC
Terms: 03 May 2007 - 02 November 2008 (reappointed)
20 February 2004 - 19 February 2007
Mr Michael Kennedy (Natural Expert) - NSW
Terms: 20 February 2004 - 19 February 2007
Dr Gaye Sculthorpe (Indigenous Expert) - VIC
Terms: 03 May 2007 - 02 November 2008 (reappointed)
20 February 2004 - 19 February 2007
Dr Richard Walley OAM (Indigenous Expert) - WA
Terms: 20 February 2004 - 19 February 2007
Mr Johnathan Mills (Associate Member) - NSW
Terms: 07 May 2005 - 6 May 2006 (reappointed)
07 May 2004 - 06 May 2005
The Hon Richard Lewis (Associate Member) - WA
Terms: 24 August 2007 - 23 August 2008 (reappointed)
25 August 2006 - 24 August 2007
Mr Howard Tanner (Historic Expert) - NSW
Terms: 27 May 2010 - 26 May 2013 (reappointed)
03 May 2007 - 02 May 2010
Dr Elizabeth Mattiske (Natural Expert) - WA
Terms: 27 May 2010 - 26 May 2013 (reappointed)
03 May 2007 - 02 May 2010
Mr Rodney Dillon (Indigenous Expert) - TAS
Terms: 27 May 2010 - 26 May 2013 (reappointed)
03 May 2007 - 02 May 2010
Adjunct Professor Sharon Sullivan AO (Historic Expert) - NSW
Terms: 27 November 2008 - 26 November 2011
Dr Jacqueline Huggins AM (Indigenous Expert) - QLD
Terms: 30 December 2011 - 29 December 2014 (reappointed)
27 November 2008 - 26 November 2011
Associate Professor Peter Valentine (Natural Expert) - QLD
Terms: 30 December 2011 - 29 December 2014 (reappointed)
27 November 2008 - 26 November 2011
Ms Helen Lardner (Historic Expert) - VIC
Terms: 30 December 2011 - 29 December 2014
Ms Kate Clark (Historic Expert) - NSW
Terms: 25 June 2013 - 09 August 2014
Dr John Ah Kit(Indigenous Expert) - NT
Terms: 25 June 2013 - 09 February 2015
Professor Carmen Lawrence (Chair) - WA
Terms: 27 May 2010 - 26 May 2013 (reappointed)
26 June 2013 - 25 June 2016
Dr Jennie Whinam (Natural Expert) - TAS
Terms: 26 June 2016 – 25 June 2019 (reappointed)
25 June 2013 – 24 June 2016
Associate Professor Don Garden OAM (Historic Expert) – VIC
Terms: 13 March 2018 – 12 June 2019 (reappointed)
25 February 2015 – 24 February 2019
The Hon Dr David Kemp AC (Chair) - VIC
Terms: 3 March 2015 – 4 March 2018 (reappointed)
13 March 2018 – 12 March 2021
Dr Jane Harrington (Historic Expert) – TAS
Terms: 25 February 2015 – 24 February 2018 (reappointed)
13 March 2018 – 12 March 2021
Dr Lyndon Ormond-Parker (Indigenous Expert) – VIC
Terms: 25 February 2015 – 24 February 2018 (reappointed)
13 March 2018 – 12 March 2021
Ms Rachel Perkins (Indigenous Expert) – NSW
Terms: 25 February 2015 – 24 February 2018 (reappointed)
13 March 2018 – 12 March 2021
Council media releases
Roles of the Australian Heritage Council
The Council plays a key role in assessment, advice and policy formulation and support of major heritage programs. Its main responsibilities are to:
- assess places for the National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritage List
- nominate places for inclusion in the National Heritage List or Commonwealth Heritage List
- promote the identification, assessment, conservation and monitoring of heritage
- advise the Minister on various heritage matters including the preparation and amendment of heritage strategies and management plans for Commonwealth areas and agencies.
Contact
For any enquiries about AHC please contact the AHC secretariat at:
Email: ahc@environment.gov.au
Post: AHC Secretariat
Heritage Branch
Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment
GPO Box 858
Canberra ACT 2601