Kimberley World Heritage Project

What are the aims of the Project

The Project aims to give the Australia Government very clear direction about how they must consult and involve Kimberley Traditional Owners in any future plans to explore World Heritage Listing in the Kimberley region.

The Project is sharing information with Traditional Owners about World Heritage places and the benefits and challenges. The Project is asking PBCs, who want to help design a consultation plan, to nominate two representatives to join a workshop in September to make the plan. The consultation plan will explain the way the government must talk to Traditional Owners and how decisions should be made about any future plans for World Heritage nomination. 

Most importantly, the Project will ensure Traditional Owners have enough information about World Heritage listing and Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) to design a consultation plan and process for the Australian Government to use when exploring potential heritage nominations in the Kimberley.

What will the KLC be doing as part of the Project

The KLC is now consulting all Kimberley PBCs, providing information and answering questions about World Heritage Listing. The KLC is meeting PBCs to talk about the Project and providing information to help PBCs learn about World Heritage listing – how sites are listed, the steps and time it takes, the benefits and disadvantages, risks and challenges for places that are listed and what needs to be done to make sure Traditional Owners have FPIC in the consultation plan.

As part of this, the KLC will hold a two-day workshop 16-17 September with representatives from PBCs who want to help design a consultation plan. At the workshop, representatives will talk about how the government must to talk to Traditional Owners and how decisions should be made when it comes to World Heritage Listing in the Kimberley.

The KLC will put all the information from the workshop into a document for the Australian Government so they clearly know how they must engage with and talk to Traditional Owners if they want to explore World Heritage nominations in the Kimberley.

How long is the Project

It is a year-long project to consult all Kimberley PBCs. The final consultation plan will be shared with the government before the end of 2026.

What is this consultation plan

It’s a plan that will tell the Australian Government how to talk to Kimberley Traditional Owners in any potential exploration of World Heritage Listing. It will be designed by Traditional Owners and given to the government.

For instance, the plan might include exactly who the government needs to talk to, what information is needed, the timeframes required to make decisions and what else might be needed to make decisions. It may even explain how this should be done at each step in the heritage listing process and it will explain the ways you want the government to do this. It is up to Kimberley Traditional Owners to decide together what must be in the plan.

How will this help Traditional Owners and PBCs

The Project will bring together representatives of Kimberley PBCs to design one consultation plan that explains how the Australian Government should consult you on any future exploration of World Heritage listing in the Kimberley.

What sites does the Australian Government want to list

The government is interested in exploring the potential for listing sites noted in the existing National Heritage Listing area in the Kimberley. They have not been specific about what sites. The KLC has explained they must consult all Traditional Owners, through their PBCs, because decisions in one area can affect other areas.

Also, Traditional Owners and PBCs may have their own ideas and aspirations about heritage listing or just wish to be kept informed about any such moves by the government.

Can we explore nominating other areas in the Kimberley

Yes.  PBCs may recommend other sites they believe will benefit from World Heritage Listing. The Murujuga site listed in 2025 was led and initiated by the Traditional Owners who worked with the Australian Government on the listing process. However, all nominations for listing are put forward to the World Heritage Committee by the Australian Government.

Are we coming together to identify sites we want to list

No, not at this stage. This Project is to design a consultation plan that tells the government how Traditional Owners want to be consulted and make decisions in the future about World Heritage nominations in the Kimberley.

Can we join the September 2026 workshop to design the consultation plan

Yes. The KLC is inviting all Kimberley PBCs, who want to have a say in the way government should engage and talk to you about World Heritage places, to nominate up to two representatives each to join the September workshop where we will make the consultation plan. The PBC representatives will hear more about the Project and the World Heritage Listing process, and be able to listen to, talk to others and come up with one design plan that clearly tells the government how they must talk to Kimberley Traditional Owners.

What if we choose not to participate in the Project

The KLC will continue to share information will all Traditional Owners through their PBCs regardless of your involvement in the project. This will be done in meetings, AGMs and our other information products such as emails and newsletters. However, only those who express interest and nominate two representatives to join the workshop in September will be able to have a say in the consultation plan.

Can Kimberley PBCs say ‘no’

Yes, at the workshop in September, PBC representatives will have the opportunity to say that they do not want any World Heritage Listing in the Kimberley or be involved in any discussion with the government about it.  If the PBC representatives want to be kept informed about any plans to explore the World Heritage Listing, the workshop will be an opportunity for PBC representatives to tell government how Traditional Owners must be kept updated and consulted in the future.

What are World Heritage sites

World Heritage sites are places that are considered priceless, unique and important for everyone in the world. Such sites have been internationally assessed and recognised by the World Heritage Committee to have ‘outstanding universal value,’ due to their cultural, historical and natural significance and form part of a common heritage for everyone.

The World Heritage Committee is an international body responsible for implementing the Convention - it decides what sites to list, it protects sites by making recommendations and provides international assistance to properties in need of support through the World Heritage Fund - such funds are limited and are provided to Member States / countries.

Sites that are World Heritage Listed are protected for future generations by the Convention for the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage (also known as the World Heritage Convention). The Convention was adopted by member nations of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 1972 to help countries identify and safeguard the world’s most outstanding heritage sites, while also respecting national sovereignty.  Australia is a member of UNESCO and has adopted the Convention.

What is cultural and natural heritage

Under the convention, a place can be listed for cultural values, natural values, or both.

• Cultural heritage refers to monuments, groups of buildings and sites with historical, aesthetic, archaeological, scientific, ethnological and anthropological value.

• Natural heritage refers to physical, biological and geological formations, habitats of threatened species and areas within scientific, conservation or aesthetic value.

However, there is ongoing debate about these definitions and the link between cultural and natural heritage. Many traditional societies, academics and others often see the two as inseparable. For instance, Aboriginal Australians cultural stories explain how places and sites came to be and how Aboriginal practices and beliefs have shaped landscapes.

What is the process for listing a site

The Australian Government is responsible for nominating sites to be assessed for listing within Australia. The process of making a nomination for World Heritage assessment must meet at least one of the 10 criteria and can take many years to complete and involves several key steps and different people along the way:

1. Tentative list: The first step is to have the place added to the Tentative List, indicating Australia’s intention to nominate it for World Heritage assessment. Sites must be on a Tentative List for at least 2 months before preliminary assessment or a nomination can be submitted. The list should identify sites to be considered over the next 10 years.

   According to the guidelines:

   • State Parties are encouraged to prepare their Tentative Lists with the full, effective and gender-balanced participation of a wide variety of stakeholders and rights-holders, including site management, local and regional governments, local communities and indigenous peoples, Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and other interested parties and partners. In the case of sites affecting the lands, territories or resources of indigenous peoples, State Parties shall consult and cooperate in good faith with indigenous peoples concerned through their own representative institutions to obtain their Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) before including the sites on their Tentative List.

2. Preliminary assessment: A desk-based process that builds on information provided during the Tentative Listing phase to ensure a nomination is making the strongest possible case for World Heritage Listing.

3. Nomination dossier: Once sites are given the go-ahead by the World Heritage Committee, State Parties such as Australia must prepare a comprehensive report detailing the site’s outstanding value, integrity, authenticity and management systems for their country’s Tentative List. The Committee can advise on the content of the report, including descriptions, features, maps etc. Important in this step is a solid strategic management plan that guides the ongoing monitoring, operation and management of the site.

4. Assessment: The Australian Government submits a nomination for assessment to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre where it is assessed by two independent technical advisory bodies and relevant experts mandated by the World Heritage Convention, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). A third advisory body advises on conservation activities, training etc – the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM). The assessment process takes at least a year.

5. Decision: The World Heritage Committee meets once a year to decide which nominated places will be inscribed on the list, and what values will be included for each place. The Committee can decide to list, defer, refer, or not to list the nomination.

6. Ongoing commitment: Once a site and its values are listed, the government, and those deemed responsible for ongoing management (outlined in the management plan) must continue to monitor, manage, protect and conserve the site. The government must also continue to report the status of the site and the listed values to the World Heritage Committee so they can continue to assess the site’s condition and review issues for any remedial interventions such as listing the site as ‘in danger.’ Periodic reporting to the Committee is done on a six-year cycle.

These steps help to make sure that places recognised for their outstanding universal value are adequately protected for future generations.

What is a Strategic Management Plan and why is it important to have one ready in the nomination process

A strategic management plan forms a key part of a World Heritage nomination. It outlines how the site will operate and how the listed values will be managed.

It is critical Traditional Owners are given the opportunity to direct and be completely embedded in this plan and the ongoing management and decision-making process of the site (this includes the whole listing process from identifying sites and values, review, nomination, to the way a site is described and ongoing site management once a site is listed).

Once a site is listed the management strategy becomes the operating framework that guides the ongoing management. The management plan must express exactly what Traditional Owners want and can live with after listing. It should spell out exactly what must happen at every step and in every aspect of ongoing management of the site and the listed values. The principles of Free, Prior and Informed Consent should underpin the management plan (as well as the whole listing process).

How many sites in the world are already listed

As of 2025, 1,248 sites are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

A Global Strategy for a Balanced and Representative List was adopted by the World Heritage Committee in 1994 to ensure the list reflects diversity of the world’s sites and notably under-represented parts of the world and in categories which are not yet fully represented on the list.

What sites are already listed in Australia

Australia has 21 sites already World Heritage Listed including Uluru, Kakadu, Gondwana Rainforest, Great Barrier Reef, Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, Purnululu National Park, Ningaloo Reef and Murujuga Cultural Landscape. A further eight are currently on Australia’s Tentative List.

What is Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC)

There is no single definition of FPIC as it should be flexible to address specific needs of different communities and First Nations people. In general though, FPIC comes from the idea of self-determination and Indigenous peoples’ right to determine their political, social, economic and cultural priorities and needs.

FPIC principles are enshrined in several frameworks including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which Australia has endorsed. FPIC is not just a tick box exercise but is a process that must be respected and enabled, with consultation a qualitative process of dialogue and negotiation.

Australian Government / DCCEEW FPIC principles:

• Free – decisions are free from force, intimidation, manipulation or coercion

• Prior – no decision expected before sufficient time for consultation and consideration

• Informed – decisions informed by accessible and comprehensive information

• Consent – decisions are made by those affected by actions through customary decision-making processes. Where consent is given it reflects agreement to participate or proceed.

Why is FPIC important

FPIC helps to make sure that Traditional Owners have the chance to participate and make decisions about anything to do with their lands, territories and resources.  It helps make sure consultation, discussion and decision-making and ongoing management processes are culturally appropriate and that Traditional Owners are listened to and can make decisions.

The FPIC principles should be included in every step and process to explore and nominate World Heritage Listing. For this reason, the Project will make sure Traditional Owners, through the PBCs have the chance to tell the government how they want to be engaged, consulted and involved in decision-making about World Heritage Listing - before the government begins exploring or considering nominating any sites in the Kimberley region.

How do we ensure FPIC is embedded in every step of a World Heritage Listing process if the Australian Government decides to consider nominating sites in the Kimberley region

By designing your own consultation process that tells the Australian Government exactly how you want to be consulted, included and involved in any exploration or discussion or process to consider World Heritage Listing any part of the Kimberley region. The design of such a process will be informed by Traditional Owner knowledge, needs and interests and underpinned by FPIC at every step.

As a key part of the Project, the KLC is inviting PBCs to nominate up to two representatives to join a two-day workshop to design a consultation process. The consultation plan and process will be underpinned by the principles of FPIC.

In general, listed sites gain no additional protection under Australian law from World Heritage Listing than what is already provided with National Heritage Listing. This is an important point to understand.

Like National Heritage Listing, sites are protected under Australian Government legislation including the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) (EPBC Act) and relevant State laws. And while World Heritage Listed sites must comply with World Heritage management principles and provide periodic reporting, ultimately it is expected that Australia will take action if sites are threatened, endangered or mismanaged.

However, World Heritage Listing brings global scrutiny and pressure which may be a powerful tool to persuade a country to take action, protect and conserve sites.

As seen elsewhere there are benefits, disadvantages and challenges for listed sites. It can increase tourism, visibility, boost economic and business growth, improve job opportunities and development and strengthen local capacity and skills.

However, if Traditional Owners and local communities are not involved in and are not central to the processes right from the start, the potential benefits that can come with listing can trigger negative impacts such as marginalising Traditional Owners, increasing poverty and damaging cultural heritage values.

Decisions must be made with full authentic engagement of Traditional Owners underpinned by FPIC.