National Cultural Heritage Account

National Cultural Heritage Account – Funding for acquisitions of Australian protected objects

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Ornate gold paperweight presented to Dame Nellie Melba purchased by Museum Victoria through the Australian Government’s National Cultural Heritage Account. Source: Sotheby’s Australia, 2015.

Each year the Ministry for the Arts provides $500,000 to assist cultural organisations to acquire Australian protected objects under the Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986. The Account helps to ensure Australian protected objects are retained in Australia, preserved and made accessible to the public. All Australian cultural organisations, including museums, art galleries, libraries, archives, historic buildings, national trusts, local history museums and galleries, and Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander keeping places for sacred/secret material, are encouraged to apply.

There is funding available under the Account and we encourage you to consider how the Account might be able assist with future acquisitions. For more information, please contact [email protected].

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Ministry for the Arts seeking people to join Register of Expert Examiners

Are you an expert in your field and have a passion for Australia’s movable cultural heritage?

The Commonwealth Ministry for the Arts is seeking suitably experienced people to join their Register of Expert Examiners. Expert Examiners are required under the Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986 and are engaged on a case-by-case basis to provide significance assessments of Australian protected objects. The Ministry is seeking experts from a wide range of fields including indigenous art and artefacts, fine arts including painting, prints and drawings, archaeological objects, natural sciences, technological objects such as transport, engineering or agricultural objects, film, photography, archives, medals, stamps, coins and historical objects (to name a few). If you have expertise relevant to any of the National Cultural Heritage Control List’s nine categories and would like to assist in the protection of Australia’s movable cultural heritage, please contact [email protected].

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