Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2021 Is On Its Way - With Training Available.

You will no doubt be aware that in December 2021 the State Government passed into law the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2021 (ACHA). Since then the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH) has focused on the development of explanatory guidelines to support the ACHA.

There are workshops on offer through until the end of June (including in Geraldton on 14 June) to help the community understand the new act - jump on to this form and register for more info. The Guidelines have a series of documents which set out the way the DPLH will administer the ACHA. The documents provide a guide to how the ACHA will provide protection for Aboriginal heritage throughout the State. In particular, the Guidelines include a document explaining "Activity Tiers". This is an important document as it indicates how the new ACHA will work and what authorisations will be required, depending on the type of development activity proposed.

The new AHCA is a big change for how Aboriginal heritage is managed in Western Australia and becomes fully operational on 1 July 2023.