Introduction

Condition

Pressure

Response

Acknowledgment

Introduction

The gas pipeline route in Tasmania was from Five Mile Bluff to Hobart, with one section running to Port Latta from Rosevale and a second section running to New Norfolk from Bridgewater. The length of the pipeline route was over 430km. The whole length of the pipeline route was surveyed for Aboriginal heritage.

Condition

A desk top assessment was undertaken of the entire corridor to a distance of 5km either side of the proposed centre line of the corridor. The Tasmanian Aboriginal site Index (TASI) provided 391 recorded Aboriginal sites within the initial proposed corridor. Sixty-two Aboriginal sites were known within a smaller 2km wide corridor and 23 Aboriginal sites were known within the actual proposed route of the pipeline corridor.

The likelihood of further unknown Aboriginal sites being present was quite high.

Pressure

The nature of the construction phase of the pipeline and the length of the route meant that impact to a variety of Aboriginal sites was high. The entire length of the pipeline trench was to be excavated to a depth of two metres. The corridor for the machinery, trench and vehicle access for the pipeline was 30m wide.

Response

A field survey was conducted of the entire length of the proposed pipeline by a team of Aboriginal Heritage Officers. The proposed corridor was then modified to miss all known Aboriginal sites and a buffer zone of a minimum of 50 metres was placed around all known Aboriginal sites near the proposed pipeline corridor. All previously unknown Aboriginal sites found were recorded and the pipeline route was also varied to miss these new sites.

During the field assessment, areas that were highly likely to contain subsurface Aboriginal sites were identified and the Aboriginal Heritage Officers undertook monitoring of these areas during ground clearance. Fifty new unrecorded Aboriginal sites were identified during the monitoring, 49 of which were in a disturbed context and were subsurface.

When it was proven that the Aboriginal sites had been impacted by previous farming activities or were in a disturbed context, permits were issued under section 14 of the Aboriginal Relics Act 1975. One Aboriginal site (TASI 9148) had not been impacted previously, it was in situ, and the pipeline route was varied to miss this site.

Each of the permits issued contained specific terms associated with minimisation of the impact on each Aboriginal site. In all instances the stone artefacts associated with each Aboriginal site were removed during pipeline construction and then replaced in the area they were found. Twenty-three permits were issued for 49 Aboriginal sites. All the permits were to either interfere, conceal or remove or a combination of these three permit types, e.g. permit to interfere and conceal, remove and conceal or remove and interfere, etc.

Extensive consultation was undertaken with the Aboriginal community and with the Tasmanian Aboriginal Land Council (TALC).

The Tasmania Natural Gas Project set a new benchmark in how major developments deal with Aboriginal heritage issues. The proponents, Duke Energy International, were willing and committed to providing an environment where Aboriginal heritage issues were dealt with in an efficient and sensitive manner.

Discussions are continuing in relation to continued management and protection of Aboriginal heritage within the gas pipeline corridor.

Acknowledgment

Caleb Pedder