About Us

The Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority (PAHSMA) was created in 1987 to preserve and maintain the Port Arthur Historic Site – a major Australian tourism destination and one of the country’s most important heritage sites.

In 2011, PAHSMA also became responsible for the Coal Mines Historic Site and Cascades Female Factory Historic Site. All three sites (known collectively as the Port Arthur Historic Sites) are included on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the eleven sites comprising the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage Property, which was inscribed in 2010.

Legislation

PAHSMA is a Government Business Enterprise and operates under the provisions of several principle acts of the Tasmanian State Parliament:

PAHSMA is committed to the aims and objectives of the Public Interest Disclosures Act 2002 (the Act). It does not tolerate improper conduct by its employees, officers or members, or the taking of detrimental action against those who come forward to disclose such conduct.

Vision

The Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority is globally recognised for excellence in telling the Australian convict story through outstanding conservation and tourism experiences.

Our Statement of Purpose

To conserve and enhance the heritage values of our World Heritage convict sites and to share the stories of these places and the people connected to them.

Our Values

Our Values give us our sense of identity as an organisation, describing the core qualities that underpin how we work together to support the goals and future success of PAHSMA;
PAHSMA values graphic stacked stones

Unity – We work as one to achieve PAHSMA’s Purpose and vision
People Matter – We acknowledge and show respect to our people – past, present and future
Accountability – We hold ourselves, and each other, accountable for our actions and behaviours
Passion and Pride – We are committed to being world class

Our Board

Members of the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority’s Board are appointed by the Tasmanian Government. Members bring a wide variety of skills and knowledge from across a range of disciplines and arenas of business, heritage management and public life to the organisation. Our Board Charter outlines the powers, functions and operational details relating to the Board and is reviewed on a regular basis.

Grant O’Brien MAICD, Chair

Tasmanian born, Grant O’Brien was appointed as Chair to the PAHSMA Board in December 2019. His 29 year career with one of Australia’s largest publicly listed companies, Woolworths, has provided extensive skills in Finance, Commercial and Business Operations, Marketing and Retail. Grant was a former Chairman for both Australian Leisure and Hospitality and Hydrox Holdings in addition to being a member of the Business Council of Australia, a Director of the Global Consumer Goods Forum and Chairman of the Retail Council of Australia. Grant is currently a member of the Tasmanian Government’s AFL task force, a Director of the Avners Pancreatic Cancer Foundation and is Deputy Chairman of the Stars Foundation.
He enjoys keeping fit, bushwalking and family time.

Kristal Buckley AM

BA (Hons), DipSocSci, MPubPol, GradCertHigherEd

Kristal Buckley is a lecturer in Cultural Heritage at Deakin University. She is an experienced cultural heritage practitioner with more than 30 years’ professional experience in cultural heritage practice and environmental policy and holds professional qualifications in the disciplines of anthropology, archaeology and public policy. Before joining Deakin University, she worked in government, consulting and the community sector. Her work includes indigenous and non-indigenous cultural heritage assessments, teaching and management projects, with an emphasis on community involvement, the cultural values of nature, and cultural landscapes. She is currently involved in the processes for cultural heritage evaluation and conservation through implementation of the World Heritage Convention and other international instruments.

Kristal is an international Vice President of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and a past president of Australia ICOMOS. She has represented ICOMOS at the annual session of the World Heritage Committee since 2007. Kristal was appointed a member of the Order of Australia in 2013 for services to cultural heritage and education.

Roseanne Heyward

Roseanne Heyward has longstanding and strong ties with the local Tasman community, having grown up in Koonya, attended school at the Tasman District School then as a boarder at The Friends’ School in Hobart. After travelling overseas and returning to Hobart to work and raise a family she returned to Koonya to live in 1995. Ms Heyward is actively involved as a volunteer with a number of community organisations.

Roseanne has served the Tasman community in the role of Councillor on the Tasman Council while also demonstrating leadership, stakeholder engagement, communication skills and sound judgement in her roles as both Deputy Mayor (2007-2014) and Mayor (2014-2018). Prior to the Tasman Council roles, Ms Heyward was employed as a Practice Manager of a specialist medical clinic for 15 years.

Roseanne is a member of the PAHSMA Audit, Risk and Governance Committee.

Ric De Santi

Ric De Santi has extensive public sector experience in management, financial and performance audit and reporting. He is Deputy Chair of the Catholic Education Commission and an Audit Panel Member for Glenorchy City and Sorell Councils and Chair of Launceston City Council’s Audit Panel. Mr De Santi serves as a Divisional Councillor on the Tasmanian Division of CPA Australia, is Chair of the Public Sector Committee and is a member of CPA Australia’s External Reporting Centre of Excellence. He is also a member of the Local Government Board undertaking the Future of Local Government Review and a casual academic with the University of Tasmania. Mr De Santi served as the Deputy Auditor-General for the Tasmanian Audit Office for 15 years and, prior to finishing in 2021, he was also a member of the Australasian Council of Auditors-General (ACAG) Financial Reporting and Accounting Committee and Chair of the ACAG Heads of Financial Audit Group. He was also a Director of CPA Australia from 2017 until 2021 and served as the Deputy President and Chair of the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee in 2021.

Mr De Santi holds a Bachelor of Business in Accounting, is a CPA Fellow, a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Registered Company Auditor.

Melinda Percival

Melinda Percival is an experienced leader having worked in multiple sectors including; aviation, tourism, energy and telecommunications. She has held a number of executive positions including the General Manager Product and Marketing at Aurora Energy, Manager National Markets at Tourism Tasmania and General Manager Corporate Affairs and Aviation for Hobart Airport focusing on areas of business development, strategy, customer experience, marketing and corporate affairs.

Melinda has held board positions for the Australian Airports Association, Tourism Industry Council Tasmania, and Antarctic Tasmania.

Richard Mulvaney

Richard Mulvaney has over 35 years’ experience in the cultural sector and is a strong advocate for museums and heritage sites.

He is a past Director of the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, past CEO of NSW Rail Transport Museum and a Director of Bradman Museum and Foundation. Mr Mulvaney was also the former president of Museums Australia, Tasmania and has held Board roles on the Tasmanian Arts Advisory Board, Theatre North, Churchill Memorial Trust, Southern Highlands Arts and Museums Arts and Advisory Board.

Advisory Committee

PAHSMA Community Advisory Committee

The purpose of the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority Community Advisory Committee is to continue the involvement and support of the local community in the management and conservation of the Port Arthur Historic Site as well as:

To promote the exchange of information about, and raise awareness of, issues involving the local community and PAHSMA that involve the management and conservation of the Port Arthur Historic Site and the Coal Mines Historic Site.
To facilitate communication between the Authority and the local community, and to provide a forum to exchange information relevant to PAHSMA issues and local community views and concerns.
To give the local community an avenue to formally discuss local issues and to work towards identifying and resolving local concerns.
To provide a mechanism, including helping to source funding, for the active participation of the local community in conservation and tourism actions and activities associated with the Historic Sites.
To provide an equitable forum in which to allow all committee members to express the views and opinions of their representative groups.

PAHSMA Community Advisory Committee members include:

Barry Jennings (Chair)
Imelda McShane
David Beard
Tony McIntyre
Keith O’Hara
Anne Hoyle
Rod Ewins
Rod MacDonald
Roseanne Heyward
Melinda Percival

Awards and Accreditation

Full list of awards

The Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority is an Accredited Australian Tourism Business that has been recognised with many awards for work and achievement across its operations including being awarded Gold at the 2019 Australian Tourism Awards under the Major Tourist Attractions category and two Gold Awards at the 2018 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards for Major Tourist Attractions and Cultural Tourism.

The Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority is proud to have received Rainbow Tasmania Tourism Accreditation. Port Arthur Historic site has repeatedly been named Tasmania’s best major tourist attraction and best cultural tourism experience, along with numerous other accolades.

Publications and Documents

Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority Ministerial Charter

Port Arthur Historic Site Statutory Management Plan (currently under review)

PAHSMA Annual Report 2021-22

PAHSMA Statement of Corporate Intent SCI 2022-23

Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority PID 2017

Port Arthur Historic Site Customer Service Charter

Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority Personal Information Protection Policy

Transcribing Tasmanian Convict Records

Officers and employees of the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority do not expect to receive gifts, benefits or hospitality for doing a job they are paid for by the public to do. In most instances, “thanks” is enough. If a gift, benefit or hospitality is accepted, it is declared here in accordance with the Tasmanian Government Gifts, Benefits and Hospitality Policy released by the State Service under Section 15(1)(b) of the State Service Act 2000.