First Peoples – State Relations (FP-SR), Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) have just released the Cultural Heritage Management Plan Guidelines (the Guidelines), a document that sets out requirements, roles and responsibilities that underpin the preparation of a Cultural Heritage Management Plan (CHMP) in Victoria. 

Since 2024, DPC has been undertaking a review of the CHMP process with various participants across industry, including CHMP Sponsors, Registered Aboriginal Parties (RAPs), Heritage Advisors and Victorian Government departments. Following this engagement, the Guidelines have been produced with an aim to help everyone involved in Victorian’s CHMP system to engage with the process efficiently, effectively and fairly.  

The Guidelines seek to: 

• elevate RAP engagement earlier in the CHMP process than currently. 

• focus the most work, time and cost on protecting heritage of high relative significance. 

• for the first time explicitly ask that intangible heritage values be considered in the CHMP. 

• allow for the consideration and documentation of the sensitivity of activity areas. 

• request survey, excavation and salvage strategies be explicitly agreed and documented. 

• propose Indigenous data agreements to protect sensitive cultural information. 

• promote CHMP conditions proportionate to cultural heritage significance. 

• promote less salvage and more targeted excavation, limiting disturbance to heritage. 

The Guidelines introduce a new range of agreements that should be established during the preparation of a CHMP where Standard Assessment (pedestrian survey) or Complex Assessment (subsurface testing) are required, including mutually agreed methodology for fieldwork tasks and agreements about standard expectations for fieldwork participation. 

Where absolutely necessary, the Guidelines also set out a ‘dispute resolution and assistance’ process that can be commenced during the preparation of, evaluation of or following refusal of a CHMP. This dispute resolution process will be facilitated by DPC. 

The Guidelines took effect from yesterday, and are applicable to all new and in-preparation CHMPs. Biosis will continue to engage with our clients (CHMP Sponsors), RAPs, Traditional Owners and FP-SR on the implementation of the Guidelines, which will evolve over time. 

Biosis are specialists and leaders in the preparation of CHMPs in Victoria. For more information on this service visit www.biosis.com.au/services/aboriginal_cultural_heritage/aboriginal-cultural-heritage-management-plan/.