The following Question Without Notice was asked by the Hon Neil Thomson MLC on 3 December 2025:

ABORIGINAL CULTURAL HERITAGE INQUIRY SYSTEM

Hon Neil Thomson to the Leader of the House representing the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs:

(1) Is the public-facing Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Inquiry System currently accurate and complete?

(2) If no to (1), will the minister please detail the department’s plan, including expected timeframes to make it accurate and complete?

(3) When a new area is being considered for recognition as a site under the Aboriginal Heritage Act, are affected landowners notified, consulted or invited to make a submission before the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Committee makes its decision and, if so, will the minister please provide details of the process?

(4) If yes to (3), what is the department’s procedure for notifying affected landowners?

Hon Stephen Dawson replied:

I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. I have just noticed that the answer is extremely long and would fall foul of standing order 106. I will provide a more appropriate answer tomorrow.

[Minister Dawson delivered on his promise and provided the answer below on 4 December 2025]

Hon Stephen Dawson (Leader of the House):

I provide an answer to Hon Neil Thomson’s question without notice 1180 and seek leave to have it incorporated into Hansard.

Leave granted for the following material to be incorporated.

Answer

1. The Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Inquiry System (ACHIS) reflects Aboriginal heritage information that has been provided to the State Government. It includes site data that pre-dates the existence of Geospatial Information System mapping techniques, which makes it less accurate.
2. ACHIS is continuously updated through reports of new information about Aboriginal heritage. The Government has also funded the Aboriginal Heritage Survey Program to identify new heritage sites and assist in the remapping of boundaries, including where former mapping technology did not allow for accuracy.
3. Yes. Landowners are notified when a new Aboriginal heritage place is being considered by the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Committee against section 5 of the AHA. Comments on heritage values and the site boundary are only sought from the Aboriginal people and native title parties whose heritage is being assessed.
4. Notification is given to individual landowners and where there are a large number of landowners, an advertisement in local media is arranged.