11Functions and powers of the Heritage Council

11 Functions and powers of the Heritage Council (1) The functions of the Heritage Council are— (a) to advise the Minister on the status of the State's cultural heritage resources and on any steps necessary to protect and conserve them; and (b) to make and publish guidelines in relation to the conservation of cultural heritage; and (c) to promote public understanding of the State's cultural heritage and develop and conduct community information and education programs; and (d) to advise government departments and agencies, municipal councils and other responsible authorities on matters relating to the protection and conservation of cultural heritage; and (e) to liaise with other bodies responsible for matters relating to the protection, conservation, management and promotion of cultural heritage; and (f) to initiate and undertake programs of research related to the identification, conservation or interpretation of cultural heritage; and (g) to include places or objects in the Heritage Register; and (h) to remove places or objects from the Heritage Register, or to amend the registration of a place or object; and (i) to remove sites from the Heritage Inventory; and (j) to conduct reviews of decisions of the Executive Director in relation to nominations, permits and consents; and (k) to develop, revise and publish the assessment criteria to be used in considering the cultural heritage significance of places and objects and determining whether those places or objects should or should not be included in the Heritage Register; and (l) to adopt, and forward to the Minister, World Heritage Strategy Plans and amendments to World Heritage Strategy Plans; and (m) to determine criteria for assessing whether a place has archaeological value; and (n) to advise the Minister administering the **Planning and Environment Act 1987** on proposed amendments to planning schemes which may affect the protection or conservation of cultural heritage; and (o) to manage the Heritage Fund; and (p) to perform any other functions conferred on the Heritage Council under this Act or any other Act. (2) Subject to this Act, the Heritage Council has the power to do all things necessary or convenient to be done for, in connection with or incidental to, the performance of its functions.