The National Cultural Heritage Committee is made up of ten people with expertise in Australia's cultural heritage.
The Committee is responsible for:
- assessing export permit applications and making recommendations to the Minister for the Arts about if a permit should be granted
- assessing funding applications from the National Cultural Heritage Account
- assessing expert examiner applications
- advising the Minister for the Arts about issues related to cultural heritage.
The Minister for the Arts appoints the Committee under the Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986. Members serve for terms of up to four years. They can be reappointed.
The Committee is made up of:
- four people from different collecting institutions
- an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander nominated by the Minister for Indigenous Affairs
- an individual nominated by Universities Australia
- four people with experience relevant to the cultural heritage of Australia.
The current members are:
- Professor Martin Gibbs—Professor of Australian Archaeology, University of New England, Armidale
- Mr Simon Elliott—Deputy Director, Collection and Exhibitions, Queensland Art Gallery
- Mr Glenn Iseger-Pilkington—Curator of Visual Arts, Freemantle Arts Centre, Western Australia
- Ms Jane Stewart—Principal Curator (Art), Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
- Mr Tim Sullivan—Consultant, museums and heritage
- Ms Louise Tegart—Director, Art Gallery of Ballarat, Victoria
- Dr Geraldine Mate—Principal Curator, History, Industry and Technology, Queensland Museum
- Dr Stephen Gilchrist—Senior Lecturer, School of Indigenous Studies, University of Western Australia
- Dr Zoe Rimmer—Indigenous Fellow, School of Humanities, University of Tasmania