Contents

Part I—Preliminary                                                                                                                1

1............ Short title see Note 1]....................................................................... 1

2............ Commencement [see Note 1].............................................................. 1

3............ Interpretation...................................................................................... 1

4............ Act to bind Crown [see Note 2]......................................................... 4

5............ Application......................................................................................... 4

6............ Extension to Territories...................................................................... 4

6A......... Application of the Criminal Code...................................................... 4

Part II—Control of Exports and Imports                                                                   5

Division 1—Exports                                                                                                      5

7............ Movable cultural heritage of Australia............................................... 5

8............ National Cultural Heritage Control List............................................. 5

9............ Unlawful exports................................................................................ 6

10.......... Grant of permits in respect of particular objects............................... 8

10A....... Grant of general permits for certain institutions................................ 9

11.......... Permits.............................................................................................. 10

12.......... Certificates of exemption.................................................................. 10

13.......... Variation etc. of conditions and period of permit or certificate........ 11

13A....... Address for service of notices.......................................................... 11

Division 2—Imports                                                                                                    12

14.......... Unlawful imports............................................................................. 12

Part III—Administration                                                                                                   14

15.......... National Cultural Heritage Committee............................................. 14

16.......... Functions of Committee................................................................... 14

17.......... Constitution of Committee............................................................... 14

18.......... Removal and resignation................................................................... 16

19.......... Remuneration and allowances........................................................... 16

20.......... Disclosure of interests...................................................................... 16

21.......... Meetings........................................................................................... 17

21A....... Conduct of meetings......................................................................... 17

21B....... Certain resolutions may be made without meetings......................... 18

22.......... Register of expert examiners............................................................. 18

23.......... Expert examiners............................................................................... 19

24.......... Delegation......................................................................................... 19

Part IV—National Cultural Heritage Account                                                     20

25.......... Establishment of National Cultural Heritage Account..................... 20

25A....... Credits to Account........................................................................... 20

25B....... Purpose of Account.......................................................................... 20

26.......... Taxation............................................................................................ 20

Part V—Enforcement of Act                                                                                           21

27.......... Interpretation.................................................................................... 21

28.......... Inspectors......................................................................................... 21

29.......... Identity cards.................................................................................... 22

30.......... Search warrants................................................................................. 22

31.......... Search warrants granted by telephone.............................................. 24

32.......... Searches in emergencies.................................................................... 25

33.......... Powers of arrest................................................................................ 26

34.......... Seizure of protected objects............................................................. 27

35.......... Power of retention............................................................................ 27

36.......... Notice of seizure............................................................................... 27

37.......... Court proceedings............................................................................. 29

38.......... Result of forfeiture........................................................................... 30

39.......... Production of permit........................................................................ 30

40.......... Proof of authority............................................................................. 31

41.......... Foreign country to request return of objects.................................... 31

43.......... Assistance of inspectors................................................................... 31

46.......... Indictable offences............................................................................ 32

Part VI—Miscellaneous                                                                                                    33

47.......... Annual report................................................................................... 33

48.......... Administrative Appeals Tribunal..................................................... 33

49.......... Regulations....................................................................................... 33

Notes                                                                                                                                            35

  

Notes to the Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986

Note 1

The Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986 as shown in this compilation comprises Act No. 11, 1986 amended as indicated in the Tables below.

For all relevant information pertaining to application, saving or transitional provisions see Table A.

The Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986 was modified by the A.C.T. Self-Government (Consequential Provisions) Regulations (as amended) see Table B.

Table of Acts

Act	Number and year	Date of Assent		Date of commencement	Application, saving or transitional provisions
Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986	11, 1986	13 May 1986		1 July 1987 (see Gazette 1987, No. S138)
Postal Services Amendment Act 1988	126, 1988	14 Dec 1988		Ss. 4, 5, 9–11, 21(2) and 22(1): 1 Jan 1989 (see Gazette 1988, No. S402) Ss. 12, 21(3) and 22(2): 30 June 1989 (see Gazette 1989, No. S216) Remainder: Royal Assent	—
Arts, Environment, Tourism and Territories Legislation Amendment Act 1990	88, 1990	20 Nov 1990		Part 7 (ss. 14–23): Royal Assent (a)	—
Arts, Sport, Environment, Tourism and Territories Legislation Amendment Act (No. 2) 1991	179, 1991	25 Nov 1991		25 Nov 1991	—
Arts, Sport, Environment and Territories Legislation Amendment Act 1992	21, 1992	10 Apr 1992		8 May 1992	—
Statute Law Revision Act 1996	43, 1996	25 Oct 1996		Schedule 4 (item 123): Royal Assent (b)	—
Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Amendment Act 1999	101, 1999	16 July 1999		16 July 1999	Sch. 1 (item 9)
Public Employment (Consequential and Transitional) Amendment Act 1999	146, 1999	11 Nov 1999		Schedule 1 (item 752): 5 Dec 1999 (see Gazette 1999, No. S584) (c)	—
Criminal Code Amendment (Theft, Fraud, Bribery and Related Offences) Act 2000	137, 2000	24 Nov 2000	Ss. 1–3, Schedule 1 (items 1, 4, 6, 7, 9–11, 32): Royal Assent Remainder: 24 May 2001		Sch. 2 (items 418, 419)
Communications and the Arts Legislation Amendment (Application of Criminal Code) Act 2001	5, 2001	20 Mar 2001	S. 4 and Schedule 1 (items 40–49): (d)		S. 4
Financial Framework Legislation Amendment Act 2005	8, 2005	22 Feb 2005	S. 4 and Schedule 1 (items 313, 314, 496): Royal Assent		S. 4 and Sch. 1 (item 496)

 

(a)      The Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986 was amended by Part 7 (sections
14–23) only of the Arts, Environment, Tourism and Territories Legislation Amendment Act 1990, subsection 2(1) of which provides as follows:

                 (1)   Parts 1, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 commence on the day on which this Act receives the Royal Assent.

(b)     The Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986 was amended by Schedule 4 (item 123) only of the Statute Law Revision Act 1996, subsection 2(1) of which provides as follows:

                 (1)   Subject to subsections (2) and (3), this Act commences on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.

(c)      The Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986 was amended by Schedule 1 (item 752) only of the Public Employment (Consequential and Transitional) Amendment Act 1999, subsections 2(1) and (2) of which provide as follows:

                 (1)   In this Act, commencing time means the time when the Public Service Act 1999 commences.

                 (2)   Subject to this section, this Act commences at the commencing time.

(e)      The Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986 was amended by Schedule 1 (items 40–49) only of the Communications and the Arts Legislation Amendment (Application of Criminal Code) Act 2001, subsection 2(1)(a) of which provides as follows:

                 (1)   Subject to this section, this Act commences at the latest of the following times:

                              (a)   immediately after the commencement of item 15 of Schedule 1 to the Criminal Code Amendment (Theft, Fraud, Bribery and Related Offences) Act 2000;

         Item 15 commenced on 24 May 2001.

Table of Amendments

ad. = added or inserted      am. = amended     rep. = repealed     rs. = repealed and substituted
Provision affected	How affected
Part I
S. 3 .....................................	am. No. 88, 1990; No. 101, 1999; No. 137, 2000; No. 5, 2001
S. 6A ..................................	ad. No. 5, 2001
Part II
Division 1
S. 9 .....................................	am. No. 126, 1988; No. 5, 2001
S. 10 ...................................	am. No. 88, 1990
S. 10A ................................	ad. No. 88, 1990
S. 11 ...................................	am. No. 88, 1990
S. 13A ................................	ad. No. 88, 1990
Division 2
S. 14 ...................................	am. No. 88, 1990
Part III
S. 16 ....................................	am. No. 88, 1990; No. 101, 1999
S. 17 ...................................	am. No. 88, 1990
S. 19 ...................................	am. No. 43, 1996
S. 21A ................................	ad. No. 179, 1991
S. 21B ................................	ad. No. 21, 1992
S. 24 ...................................	am. No. 146, 1999
Part IV
Heading to Part IV ...............	rs. No. 101, 1999
S. 25 ....................................	rs. No. 101, 1999
S. 25A .................................	ad. No. 101, 1999
	am. No. 8, 2005
Note to s. 25A(2) ................	ad. No. 8, 2005
S. 25B .................................	ad. No. 101, 1999
S. 26 ....................................	am. No. 101, 1999
Part V
S. 29 ....................................	am. No. 5, 2001
S. 39 ....................................	am. No. 5, 2001
S. 42 ....................................	rep. No. 5, 2001
Ss. 44, 45 ............................	rep. No. 137, 2000
S. 46 ....................................	am. No. 137, 2000; No. 5, 2001
Part VI
S. 47 ....................................	am. No. 101, 1999
S. 48 ...................................	am. No. 88, 1990

 

Table A

Application, saving or transitional provisions

Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Amendment Act 1999 (No. 101, 1999)

Schedule 1

9   Application of items 7 and 8

Whether this Act commences on 1 July 1999 or on a later date, the amendments of the Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986 made by items 7 and 8 apply in relation to the financial year commencing on 1 July 1999 and each subsequent financial year.

Criminal Code Amendment (Theft, Fraud, Bribery and Related Offences) Act 2000 (No. 137, 2000)

Schedule 2

418   Transitional—pre‑commencement offences

(1)         Despite the amendment or repeal of a provision by this Schedule, that provision continues to apply, after the commencement of this item, in relation to:

                     (a)  an offence committed before the commencement of this item; or

                     (b)  proceedings for an offence alleged to have been committed before the commencement of this item; or

                     (c)  any matter connected with, or arising out of, such proceedings;

as if the amendment or repeal had not been made.

(2)         Subitem (1) does not limit the operation of section 8 of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901.

419   Transitional—pre‑commencement notices

If:

                     (a)  a provision in force immediately before the commencement of this item required that a notice set out the effect of one or more other provisions; and

                     (b)  any or all of those other provisions are repealed by this Schedule; and

                     (c)  the first‑mentioned provision is amended by this Schedule;

the amendment of the first‑mentioned provision by this Schedule does not affect the validity of such a notice that was given before the commencement of this item.

Communications and the Arts Legislation Amendment (Application of Criminal Code) Act 2001 (No. 5, 2001)

4  Application of amendments

             (1)  Each amendment made by this Act applies to acts and omissions that take place after the amendment commences.

             (2)  For the purposes of this section, if an act or omission is alleged to have taken place between 2 dates, one before and one on or after the day on which a particular amendment commences, the act or omission is alleged to have taken place before the amendment commences.

Financial Framework Legislation Amendment Act 2005 (No. 8, 2005)

4  Saving of matters in Part 2 of Schedule 1

             (1)  If:

                     (a)  a decision or action is taken or another thing is made, given or done; and

                     (b)  the thing is taken, made, given or done under a provision of a Part 2 Act that had effect immediately before the commencement of this Act;

then the thing has the corresponding effect, for the purposes of the Part 2 Act as amended by this Act, as if it had been taken, made, given or done under the Part 2 Act as so amended.

             (2)  In this section:

Part 2 Act means an Act that is amended by an item in Part 2 of Schedule 1.

Schedule 1

496   Saving provision—Finance Minister’s determinations

If a determination under subsection 20(1) of the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 is in force immediately before the commencement of this item, the determination continues in force as if it were made under subsection 20(1) of that Act as amended by this Act.

Table B

Modifications

A.C.T. Self-Government (Consequential Provisions) Regulations

Section 4—The Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986 was modified by regulation 2 and Schedule 1 of the A.C.T. Self-Government (Consequential Provisions) Regulations as amended. The modification of Schedule 1 is set out below and is not incorporated in this compilation.

Section 4:

                   After “States,” insert “of the Australian Capital Territory,”.