Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for the Environment) Share this | Hansard source

I thank those opposite for their support, and I thank the member for Parramatta for her contribution. I would also like to thank those at the department for their service and their dedication and hard work, and also other stakeholders, to bring this important legislation to the House.

This bill is a continuation of the policy framework of the Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976. It gives clarity to the present and ongoing jurisdictional arrangements for protecting and managing Australia's underwater cultural heritage. For the first time, this bill recognises human remains in addition to other articles found within shipwrecks or sunken aircraft. It enables protection of Australia's underwater cultural heritage located outside jurisdictional waters and broadens protection to sunken aircraft and other sites. The bill elevates the role of the public by recognising the need to promote awareness, understanding, appreciation and appropriate use of Australia's underwater cultural heritage. This bill, in conjunction with the associated Underwater Cultural Heritage (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2018, ensures that the discovery, protection and management of underwater culture heritage in Australia will be effective and proportionate. The bill modernises and strengthens the range of investigation and enforcement powers with a graduated approach to compliance, and it continues the highly successful delegated framework for day-to-day management.

The government is committed to protecting Australia's unique underwater cultural heritage. The approximately 7,500 historic shipwrecks, sunken aircraft and other underwater cultural heritage sites in Australian and Commonwealth waters are physical evidence of our past. The bill will support the continuing protection of the culture inheritance for future generations, and will position us to participate in the global community's response to threats to underwater cultural heritage. I commend the bill to the House.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

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