Part 6 of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NPW Act), administered by the Office of Environment and Heritage, provides specific protection for Aboriginal objects and declared Aboriginal places by establishing offences of harm. Harm is defined to mean destroying, defacing or damaging an Aboriginal object or declared Aboriginal place, or moving an object from the land.
Anyone proposing to carry out an activity that may harm an Aboriginal object or a declared Aboriginal place must investigate, assess and report on the harm that may be caused by the activity they propose. This investigation, assessment and reporting is undertaken to explore the harm of a proposed activity on Aboriginal objects and declared Aboriginal places and to clearly set out which impacts are avoidable and which are not.
Harm to significant Aboriginal objects and declared Aboriginal places should be avoided wherever possible. Where harm to Aboriginal objects and declared Aboriginal places cannot be avoided, proposals that reduce the extent and severity of harm to should be developed and detailed in an Aboriginal cultural heritage assessment report. An assessment report details the results of investigations and recommended actions to be taken before, during and after an activity to manage and protect Aboriginal objects and declared Aboriginal places identified.
You need to fill out this Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessment Report Cover Sheet and attach it to your assessment report before submission.
