The Minister must revoke a provisional heritage declaration if the Council decides the place or object lacks heritage significance; this also applies if the Council does not recommend the declaration or the Minister decides against it.

The Council does not have to give affected people a hearing when making certain heritage decisions.

Aboriginal or Macassan archaeological places are now defined as sites of pre-contact or early contact human occupation containing relics, ancestral remains, or evidence of modification.

Relics now explicitly include ancestral remains; the term excludes replicas or items made for sale.

The Council can refuse heritage nominations if they are frivolous, vexatious, or lack substance.

The Council can decide to assess the heritage significance of a place or object on its own initiative.

The assessment period for heritage significance is set to 6 months after specific trigger events.