Coins taken from shipwrecks, Aboriginal artifacts, vintage tractors — these are some of the items that UNE expert in maritime and convict history, Professor Martin Gibbs, will be charged with protecting in his new role as the Universities Australia representative on the National Cultural Heritage Committee.
Prof. Gibbs joins an august group whose chief role is to advise the Federal Minister for the Arts on the application of the Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act.
“There is an international global trade in illegal artifacts, and the Committee plays a pivotal role in ensuring that Australia retains significant items of portable cultural heritage,” Prof Gibbs says.
“It’s good recognition for UNE Archaeology’s national expertise around heritage objects, and it comes at an opportune time when the University is reorganising its heritage collections, like the Museum of Antiquities. I look forward to working with people like Dr Patrick Greene OBE, the CEO of the Museum of Victoria, and others with deep knowledge of Australian heritage.”
