Aboriginal Heritage Act and Regulations review

The Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 and the Aboriginal Heritage Regulations 2007 are undergoing a review, with an exposure draft for the 2006 Act currently before parliament.  Whilst it is expected that the changes will result in some impacts on our clients’ operations, it is important to understand that the review has not yet been ratified.  On present estimates, the 2006 Act changes will not come into effect until the middle of 2016.  Importantly, the 2007 Regulations, which guide and direct the vast majority of all cultural heritage undertakings, have yet to be reviewed and are unlikely to be ratified or implemented until well after the implementation of the 2006 Act changes.

Any detailed discussions of the potential changes to the Act are premature at this stage.  However, as a guide for our clients, we have prepared a synopsis of the likely outcomes of the 2006 Act review which is available from Dr Ilya Berelov, Manager Heritage Services – Victoria.  The cultural heritage team at Biosis will continue to work closely with our clients to explain the review changes and how they may impact on developments as and when they are formally ratified by parliament.