Aboriginal Heritage Council meeting

The Aboriginal Heritage Council considered three permit applications under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1975 to impact Aboriginal heritage. The Council agreed not to oppose two of the three permits in its recommendations to the Minister.  

One permit was opposed because the proponent chose to ignore the advice of Aboriginal Heritage Officers, archaeological consultants and Aboriginal heritage Tasmania due to time and cost concerns. The advice provided was in accordance with best practice expectations as detailed in the Burra Charter, Archaeologist’s Field Handbook (2020) and Aboriginal Heritage Standards and Procedures [link]. The proposed project is in an area of high Aboriginal cultural significance where several sites are registered nearby, and artefacts were found in the area designated for development. The likelihood of further heritage being uncovered during the project is very high. The development will involve the construction of various infrastructure including buildings, drainage and roads plus the removal of topsoil and extensive planting. The advice provided was to conduct test pitting to gain a more accurate understanding of the extent and significance of the heritage to then determine the best mitigation and management strategies and the overall viability of constructing the development at this site. By not undertaking the test pitting before beginning development the proponent runs the risk of requiring numerous permits to impact Aboriginal heritage throughout the construction process that will cause delays and added costs.

The Council provided advice to the Minister regarding ongoing foreshore revegetation works, that will impact Aboriginal heritage, to be undertaken by the Hobart City Council (HCC).  The Council recognise that the while HCC’s revegetation work may impact Aboriginal heritage to a degree in terms of planting and weeding in and around living sites and artefact scatter, if done carefully, it can be of benefit. The regrowth of vegetation helps to stabilise and protect the topsoil and consequently any heritage (e.g. living sites or artefact scatter) that might be in the vicinity. It also provides habitat for wildlife. The Council added additional conditions to the permit to ensure only indigenous plants appropriate to the Derwent area are planted, and that if needed bio-degradable rather than plastic netting is used. The Council strongly believe that their responsibility to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage includes protecting the broader environment and landscape that the heritage is within. The two are inseparable.

The next Aboriginal Heritage Council meeting will be on Friday 12 December 2025 in Hobart.