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Priority areas for nomination 2024

In 2024, Heritage Victoria welcomes nominations for places or objects of State-level significance in the following priority areas:

  • Women architects, designers, builders and makers
  • The history of women in Victoria
  • Post-contact Aboriginal history
  • The history of migrant and multicultural groups in Victoria
  • The history of the LGBTIQ+ community in Victoria
  • Places and objects in regional Victoria and especially the Wimmera, the Mallee, the Goulburn Valley and Gippsland, which speak to the history of the state
  • Places and objects which reflect Victoria’s social and design history from the 1950s to the 1990s
  • Other types of heritage that are currently underrepresented in the VHR, including underrepresented histories and place typologies.

We also welcomeon suggestions of how existing registrations can be updated to better reflect the contributions of all Victorians. Our recent audit of Women in the VHR may provide some guidance around such nominations.

Nominate a heritage place or object

Watch our instructional video before making a nomination to the register.

View transcript

Make a nomination

You will be asked to register or log in at the next step so you can save and track your application.

Nominate a place or object

Will my nomination be successful?

Not all nominations are accepted or result in a registration. The Register only includes things which are significant to the whole of Victoria. You’ll need to demonstrate this in your nomination.

We won’t consider the nomination if:

  • It doesn’t demonstrate State level heritage significance
  • It’s incomplete
  • It has inadequate or insufficient information
  • It is for a place or object that has already been considered, unless you provide substantial new information

Why are some nominations rejected?

Some nominations have ‘no reasonable prospect’ of inclusion in the register. This is usually because they do not demonstrate State level heritage significance. If your nomination is rejected, Heritage Victoria will write to you with reasons for refusal of your nomination. You can ask the Heritage Council to review the decision.

If you answer yes to any of the questions below, we recommend you look to other forms of heritage protection.

Is this place or object valued in your community? Is it solely of local significance?

The Victorian Heritage Register only includes places with State heritage values. The threshold for this is very high. Places such as community halls, war memorials, railway stations, schools and churches can be highly valued within local communities. But they are not always significant to the whole State of Victoria. Local government Heritage Overlays exist to protect these types of places. If you believe the place is important to your community, you should contact your local council.

Is the place or object solely of natural or environmental significance?

The Victorian Heritage Register only includes place of cultural heritage significance. Places with strong natural and environmental values can be protected through local council planning schemes and various types of overlays. Contact your local council if you believe the place is important for these reasons only.

Is the place or object solely of Aboriginal significance?

Aboriginal people have lived in Victoria for tens of thousands of years. The Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 protects and manages Aboriginal cultural heritage. The Act empowers traditional owners to make decisions about their heritage.

The Heritage Act can protect post-contact heritage that is important to Aboriginal people. Some places that are protected in this way include:

Are nominations ever rejected?

Yes. The Heritage Act allows for nominations for the Victorian Heritage Register to be refused if State level significance is not demonstrated in the nomination.

If a nomination is accepted will this guarantee a heritage listing?

No. A formal assessment process still needs to happen. The final decision maker is the Heritage Council of Victoria.

For more information about the nominations process please read the Victorian Heritage register criteria and threshold guidelines.

Use our nomination form to suggest a place or object is included in the Victorian Heritage Register. There is no application fee to make a nomination.

The nomination form includes a detailed guide to help you complete it.

  • Read the guide carefully
  • Make sure you complete the mandatory sections
  • Provide attachments where required

What happens after I make a nomination?

If the nomination is incomplete or does not demonstrate State level heritage significance, Heritage Victoria will request further information. If this information is not provided within 30 days the application will lapse.

If the documents are complete and valid, the nomination will be accepted for assessment. There is no statutory timeframe for assessing an application, and assessment may take some time.

After assessment, Heritage Victoria makes a recommendation to the Heritage Council of Victoria (a separate independent body) to:

  • Include the place or object in the register, or
  • Not include the place or object in the register, or
  • Amend the registration, or
  • Remove the registration

The Heritage Council decides what to include in the Victorian Heritage Register.

The Heritage Council will then advertise the recommendation for 60 days. They may hold a hearing before making a final decision.

I want to amend an existing listing

Anyone can apply to amend a listing by:

  • Changing the extent of registration including adding or removing land
  • Adding objects that are integral to the significance of the place, like furniture or machinery
  • Removing or amending permit exemptions
  • Correcting technical or minor errors
  • Removing a registration

Applications to remove a place or object from the Victorian Heritage Register are rarely approved. You need to demonstrate that the place does not adequately satisfy the Heritage Council’s criteria.

There is no application fee to request an amendment.

You will be asked to register or log in at the next step so you can save and track your application.

Amend or remove a place or object

A note on early registrations

Some of the earliest registrations on the Victorian Heritage Register did not include land because this wasn’t possible under the law at that time. It has been Heritage Victoria’s practice since the 1980s to include land in new registrations to protect the fabric and significance of the place.

Heritage Victoria is systematically working through the early registrations to add land through an amendment process. If you would like to speak to someone about an early registration you can contact the heritage registrations team.

Page last updated: 23/02/24