Heritage Council Must Include Aboriginal Members and Cannot Reassess Sites for 5 Years

NT Heritage Council Must Include Aboriginal Members and Cannot Reassess Sites for 5 Years

Heritage Amendment Bill 2026

14 May 2026: Passed by Parliament and signed off by the governor.

This bill kicks in: TBA

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Topics

ancestral remains archaeological sites cultural heritage government accountability heritage preservation heritage protection Indigenous affairs Indigenous history land management land use property ownership +6 more

Introduced by: The Hon Joshua Burgoyne MLA (CLP)

Links to official parliament websites

Official page: progress through parliament

Official page: bill text and explanatory notes

Effects of this bill

If this bill passes, it means that:

The Environment 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 Environment 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.

The Debate

What different members said when this bill was debated:

Joshua Burgoyne CLP

“Madam Speaker, I present a Bill titled Heritage Amendment Bill 2026, Serial 60, and table the explanatory statement. I move that the Bill be now read a first time.”

Official source →

Ed Smelt ALP

“Madam Speaker, Territory Labor has taken the time to carefully consider the intent of this legislation and the concerns raised by stakeholders. Territory Labor supports economic development in the Territory.”