The Australian Council of Professional Historians Associations (ACPHA) was officially launched in 1996 to represent professional historians at the national level in Australia. ACPHA also seeks to develop dialogues with government bodies and other institutions and agencies which are involved in the areas of history, culture and heritage. The aims of the Council are: to increase potential clients' and employers' awareness of both the skills of professional historians and the appropriate conditions for their employment; to maintain and encourage adherence to professional standards and ethics among historians; to encourage mutual support and co-operation among professional historians; and, to provide a forum for critical discussion of historical scholarship.