AACAI Membership

There are three main categories of financial membership within the Association – Full Membership, Associate Membership and Affiliate Membership.

AACAI also grants Honorary Membership to former Full Members of the Association who are retired or no longer practicing in consulting archaeology, and Lifetime Membership to those nominated as distinguished individuals recognised for their life-long contributions to AACAI – both of these membership categories are non-financial with the former not having voting rights.

Full Members

These individuals are fully qualified and experienced consultants, usually with a broad range of research and management skills. Full Members often act as senior heritage project managers. They have demonstrated ability and have been through an accreditation process in the organisation. Areas of expertise include site survey and recording, excavation, analysis and interpretation and, importantly, the assessment of site significance. Full Members may use the post-nominal MAACAI as a professional qualification.

Associate Members

Associates are usually graduates or earlier career consultant archaeologists who hold appropriate qualifications in archaeology and who are still increasing their levels of work experience and management skills.

Affiliate Members

Affiliate members are professionals who are not currently practicing consultants but who, through their professional occupation as academics or in the public sector, maintain links with the Association.

Benefits of Membership

AACAI is a member-benefit Association, and it is the peak representative body for professional archaeologists working in Australia. Unlike the Australian Archaeological Association, applicants for AACAI membership are assessed on their professional qualifications, experience and expertise as it relates to consulting archaeology. Members of AACAI are expected to adhere to a Code of Ethics relating to consultant archaeology work in Australia.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) oversees issues of wide-ranging importance for consultants, clients and the community. All sub-committees and the Membership Committee answer to the NEC. State Chapters of AACAI deal with specific issues relating to practice in different parts of Australia with different jurisdictions and heritage organisational structures. The Chapters hold specialist workshops, professional development courses, social and promotional events, seminar series and act as the first contact point for members. The NEC provides support to the Chapters as required.

Workshops are often organised on specialised topics that assist in the professional development of consultants and which help to inform them on issues that affect their work, such as changes to legislation. Recent workshops include the analysis and management of spatial data (GIS applications), usewear and residue analysis, lithic analysis, and the implications of GST on business practice and accountability. Although these workshops are often open to all archeologists, AACAI Members can enjoy a substantial discount and receive advanced notification.

AACAI produces a regular newsletter, which keeps the members up-to-date with a cross-section of archaeological issues in Australia. Each Newsletter includes updates on workshops and lectures of interest to consultants.

Full, Associate and Affiliate AACAI members have a profile published here on the website. For Full Members, their profile will show their academic qualifications, consulting experience, general expertise and special skills (as ratified by the Membership Committee) and provide links to their affiliated websites and contact details. For Associate and Affiliate Members, their profiles will show a short summary of their contact details, expertise and availability. All Members are granted a login to their profile, which they can update accordingly.

When logged in as a Member to the AACAI website, you will have access to all publications and resources, as well as all previous newsletters and AGM minutes and reports (some areas are not open to the public).

AACAI also has formal ties with other archaeology and heritage organisations, such as the Australian Archaeological Association (AAA) and Australia ICOMOS. We have representatives on cross-collaborative sub-committees such as the Australian National Committee for Teaching and Learning (ANCATL) and the Inter-association Indigenous Heritage Reference Group. We financially support the annual AAA Conference and run the Careers Event there, and we support other relevant conferences and symposiums as they are organised.

AACAI can serve to lobby collectively on issues deemed to be of interest to its professional membership, such as amendments to heritage legislation or national standards in heritage management. AACAI is a primarily volunteer-run Association, and the NEC (which must step down every two years in accordance with the Constitution) requires its members to be actively engaging with them about matters and concerns that affect consulting archeologists so that meaningful advocacy can occur on their behalf. The NEC will regularly connect with its membership through online surveys and by having a frequent presence on social media.

AACAI Members are encouraged to step up and volunteer to positions on their local State Chapters, the NEC or any associated sub-committees. The benefits of doing this are huge. It offers you the opportunity to connect and network with your peers, give back to the community, and genuinely feel good about achieving something and making a difference.