School Upgrade Assessments

Schools Infrastructure NSW (SINSW) proposed upgrades of Kingscliff High School and Public School, the Newcastle Education Precinct, Carlingford West Public School and Cumberland High School projects.

Ineco was engaged to complete Aboriginal heritage investigations and provide advice on Aboriginal heritage and town planning for these projects.

The works included Aboriginal cultural heritage assessment (ACHA), Aboriginal heritage impact permit (AHIP) application, archaeological test excavations, post-excavation analysis, and post-approval Aboriginal cultural heritage management plans (for Kingscliff High School and Public School projecst only). Ineco worked collaboratively with SINSW, the projects stakeholders and Registered Aboriginal Parties (RAPs) to achieve these outcomes for the projects.

Ineco provided project management services and advice to the project and worked collaboratively with SINSW, the archeologists (EMM Consulting), the Registered Aboriginal Parties (RAPs) and stakeholders to successfully complete the milestones for the projects.

As part of the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessment process, post-excavation analysis and reporting was required to help identify the significance of any Aboriginal cultural material found on the projects, as well as identifying any impacts that the proposed development may have had on these projects. This required updates to the projects Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessment reports and acquiring consent authority and approval facilitation of an AHIP application for each project which included interactions and discussions with Heritage NSW.

Throughout the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessment process for each project, Ineco liaised and consulted with key Aboriginal community members and knowledge holders (including RAPs). This included seeking advice from the RAPs regarding their cultural knowledge of the assessment area to identify areas and places of cultural value within or in the vicinity of each project, and discussions of potential impacts to heritage and appropriate mitigation options.

For each project, the project team recommended that prior to ground disturbance, a post-approval Aboriginal heritage management plan (AHMP) should be developed by a heritage
specialist in consultation with the Aboriginal stakeholders and consent authority to provide the post-approval framework for managing Aboriginal heritage within the project area. This also
included setting up management systems to ensure compliance, implementation of an unexpected finds procedure, ongoing heritage monitoring and consultation with the RAPs.

The project team also advised the projects that a post-approval heritage-interpretation strategy should be developed by a heritage specialist and in collaboration with RAPs to identify the interpretive values of the project area, and to provide direction for potential interpretive installations and devices at the schools.

These recommendations were provided to ensure the Aboriginal cultural heritage values are
maintained and protected at each of the project sites.

Ineco formed strong relationships with the SINSW, EMM Consulting and Registered Aboriginal Parties (RAPs) to provide successful management of the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessments for each project including Aboriginal heritage impact permit (AHIP) application, archaeological test excavations, post-excavation analysis, and post-approval Aboriginal cultural heritage management plans.

SINSW commended Ineco for the strong team relations and willingness to help the project team resolve any issues and queries that arose. This allowed SINSW to make informed decisions based on the survey results and recommendations of the RAPs. Ineco’s cooperation in dealing with the project team, RAPs and Aboriginal Stakeholders lead to the successful delivery of the milestones for each project.