All sacred sites, whether or not they have been recorded or registered in the Northern Territory are protected by the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act. The Act has a number of protections for sites. These include protection from unauthorised entry and damage. The Act also gives the Authority the power to prosecute people and organisations that damage sacred sites.
The three main ways that the Authority protects Aboriginal sacred sites are through:
- Sacred site avoidance surveys and the issuing of Authority Certificates for any proposals of development;
- The provision of information to the public about existing sacred sites data through abstracts of Authority records and access to the Registers maintained by the Authority; and
- The registration of Aboriginal sacred sites.