Cultural Heritage Management Plans

Cultural Heritage Management Plans (CHMPs) are reports that act as statutory authorisations for Aboriginal cultural heritage investigation and management. They can be either a mandatory requirement as part of a development activity, or a voluntary undertaking to effectively manage risk to harm to Aboriginal heritage over the course of the development project.

A CHMP can involve up to four stages. These are:

  • Desktop Assessment (background review)
  • Standard Assessment (ground survey)
  • Complex Assessment (subsurface testing)
  • Impact Assessment

Those stages can also include consultation with specific Aboriginal stakeholders known as Traditional Owners (TOs) during the process. The Secretary,  Department of Premier and Cabinet is the regulatory authority who will be evaluating the CHMP for approval.

A detailed breakdown on each of the CHMP stages is below.

Desktop Assessment

At the commencement of the CHMP, Biosis on behalf of the Sponsor will submit the appropriate notifications to the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Register (VAHR).

The Desktop Assessment is a review of relevant background information. The Desktop Assessment will comply with the relevant practice note produced by First People – State Relations (FP-SR) and will be in accordance with the Aboriginal Heritage Regulations 2018. The completion of the Desktop Assessment will involve the following tasks:

  • Determination of a geographic region VAHR and archaeological investigation for search parameters.
  • Environmental and ethnographic data retrieval from the relevant databases and sources.
  • Aboriginal archaeological report and Aboriginal place data retrieval from the VAHR.
  • Examine historic map sources and aerial imagery to identify land use history.
  • Undertake a Before You Dig Australia (BYDA) search to identify existing utilities.
  • A thorough review of the above information to identify landforms of Aboriginal cultural heritage potential.
  • Map all recorded Aboriginal places and landforms with Aboriginal cultural heritage potential.
  • Development of an Aboriginal place prediction model. Biosis utilises GIS modelling which incorporates the above information and weights each layer according to its contribution to Aboriginal cultural heritage potential. A heat map is then produced illustrating the results of this analysis.
  • Determine whether archaeological field assessment is required in accordance with the Regulations
  • Complete a draft Desktop Assessment.

Standard Assessment

Ahead of any fieldwork, Biosis will prepare a Safe Work and Environmental Methods Statement to ensure a hazard assessment is completed.

The Standard Assessment is a ground survey of the entire Activity Area to identify surface Aboriginal cultural heritage material and confirm landforms of archaeological potential. The Standard Assessment will comply with the FP-SR practice notes and guidelines and will be in accordance with the Aboriginal Heritage Regulations 2018. The completion of the Standard Assessment will involve the following tasks:

  • Pedestrian survey of the Activity Area.
  • Auger probe testing to better inform the subsurface testing methodology for the Complex Assessment (if applicable).
  • Recording of surface cultural heritage material. Biosis utilises DGPS survey equipment to ensure sub-metre accuracy of spatial data for client planning purposes and to meet the standards set by the heritage regulators.
  • Recording ground surface conditions including areas of past disturbance. Biosis utilises GPS enabled digital cameras for field recording; this allows field results to be recorded in a reporting format eliminating double handling of data and providing a cost effective and efficient solution to data management.
  • Recording landforms of Aboriginal cultural heritage potential.
  • Determine whether complex assessment is required in accordance with the Regulations.
  • Produce a map of all Standard Assessment results.
  • Complete a draft Standard Assessment.

Complex Assessment

The Complex Assessment is subsurface testing in the areas of potential for Aboriginal cultural heritage which will be impacted by the proposed activity. The Complex Assessment will comply with the relevant FP-SR practice notes and guidelines and will be in accordance with the Aboriginal Heritage Regulations 2018. The Complex Assessment can include the following tasks which are the likely minimum requirements for approval:

  • Targeted subsurface testing in landforms where there is archaeological potential for Aboriginal cultural heritage – 1 x 1 metre hand excavated test pits.
  • Sampling subsurface testing of the remainder of the Activity Area – 50×50 centimetre hand excavated shovel test pits.
  • Sampling subsurface testing of the remainder of the Activity Area – mechanically excavated test trenches (if appropriate)
  • Record subsurface conditions, including stratigraphy and disturbance.
  • Record Aboriginal places.
  • Compare the results with the prediction model.
  • Produce a map of all Complex Assessment results.
  • Complete a draft Complex Assessment.

Aboriginal Place Registrations

Should Aboriginal places be identified during the CHMP, there is an obligation under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 to register these places on the VAHR. The CHMP will not be approved without a completed registration. Aboriginal place registrations can involve:

  • Mapping of the place extent.
  • Artefact analysis.
  • Completing place record, including site formation and scientific significance value.
  • Obtaining any cultural value statements from relevant Traditional Owner groups.

Impact Assessment

 

Any Aboriginal places registered in the CHMP will undergo an impact assessment. This will assess impacts to Aboriginal places by the Activity and whether these impacts can be avoided, minimised or mitigated, with a cumulative impact assessment produced. The impact assessment will:

  • Assess the cultural heritage significance of the findings.
  • Assess the impact of the intended development on any Aboriginal places.
  • Present conditions for management and/or mitigation where required, in accordance with current conservation practice and the conservation principles contained within the Australia International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Burra Charter.
  • Any conditions will be drafted in conjunction with relevant Traditional Owner input and endorsement.

Draft/Final CHMP

Following the fieldwork and Aboriginal place registration, a draft CHMP will be produced in compliance with relevant FP-SR practice notes and guidelines and be in accordance with the Aboriginal Heritage Regulations 2018. The CHMP will:

  • Provide information on the nature of the proposed works.
  • Review the background information.
  • Present the methodology and results of the field assessment.
  • Consolidate the Impact Assessment into the CHMP

All documentation and methods relating to cultural heritage assessments are reviewed by Biosis heritage team senior personnel. CHMPs are checked against the FP-SR evaluation checklist which is used by the Department of Premier and Cabinet evaluator to approve the CHMP. In addition, the Sponsor will be invited to review the CHMP, particularly any management requirements. Following one set of consolidated comments on the draft, the CHMP will be completed.

The CHMP will be submitted for evaluation. The evaluation period is a statutory prescribed 30 days.

The final report will be made available to the Sponsor and the VAHR. The CHMP will include maps showing the location of Aboriginal places and ongoing requirements.