ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews Australian intersections of human rights and World Heritage as a contribution to understanding the diversity of contexts, issues and possibilities within the Asia–Pacific region. It describes the national context, and focuses on the case of Fraser Island, or K'gari as it is known to its Aboriginal Traditional Owners, the Butchulla people. The cultural heritage of the Butchulla people on K'gari was recognised by the Queensland and federal governments at the time of nomination, but was not considered significant enough to be recognised under the cultural criteria for listing under the World Heritage Convention. Practitioners – including actors with diverse roles in the World Heritage Committee, advisory bodies, communities and states parties – should be supported to better respond to gender issues. Australia's World Heritage properties have pressing rights issues, in part owing to the legacy of insufficient attention to rights in the processes of inscription and management over the past 40 years.
