Establishing baseline data for the conservation of Koonalda Cave

Consultation has concluded

If you a Traditional Owner or an Aboriginal party with an interest in Koonalda Cave on the Far West Coast, we want to hear from you.

What's being decided?

The Department for Environment and Water (Applicant) proposes to engage appropriately skilled and qualified practitioners to undertake digital recording, laser scanning, climate monitoring and water quality sampling inside Koonalda Cave, a highly significant site for Mirning custodians and the Aboriginal peoples of the Far West Coast.

Your views will help decide whether ministerial authorisation should be granted to the Applicant, and others engaged by the Applicant to undertake the activities.

Background

The Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, who is responsible for the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1988 (SA) (Act), has received an application for authorisation under section 23 of the Act to enable the Applicant to undertake an Expression of Interest (EOI) process in order to capture baseline data to support the ongoing conservation and protection of the cave.

Section 23 of the Act makes it an offence to damage, disturb and/or interfere with Aboriginal heritage without authorisation from the Minister.

Get involved

Section 13 of the Act requires the Minister to consult with relevant Traditional Owners, the State Aboriginal Heritage Committee (Committee) and any other Aboriginal people or organisations that he considers may have an interest in this matter.

If you are a Traditional Owner or an interested Aboriginal party, please read the Consultation Information Pack and Consultation Notice as well as information available on AAR’s website and consider responding to at least the following questions:

  • Should the authorisation sought by the Applicant be granted? Why or why not?
  • If the authorisation is granted, what conditions (if any) should be imposed?
  • Will the Project provide you with any direct or indirect benefits (e.g., cultural, financial or personal)?
  • Are there any other matters the Minister should consider when deciding this application?

If you wish to learn more, to lodge a submission and/or be notified once a decision in this matter has been made, you can:

  • Call us on (08) 8363 8622
  • Visit AAR’s website
  • Email your feedback to AAR.CIR@sa.gov.au
  • Post your feedback to:
    Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation
    Attorney-General’s Department
    GPO Box 464, ADELAIDE SA 5001

See the Consultation Information Pack for further details on how to lodge a verbal or written submission. Further information can be found on AAR's website.

AAR is available to assist people to record submissions if they have any difficulty in doing so.

Submissions must be received by AAR by 5 July 2025.

What are the next steps?

You may request that AAR keeps any cultural information in your submission confidential. AAR will facilitate these requests, where possible, in line with procedural fairness principles. Otherwise, AAR will forward your submissions in full to the Applicant for comment. Once the public consultation has closed, AAR will forward your submissions and the Applicant’s comments to the Committee, whose views will also be sought.

AAR will collate all submissions, the Applicant’s responses to them, the Committee’s advice, and its own recommendations to the Minister to make a final decision about the application.

If you a Traditional Owner or an Aboriginal party with an interest in Koonalda Cave on the Far West Coast, we want to hear from you.

What's being decided?

The Department for Environment and Water (Applicant) proposes to engage appropriately skilled and qualified practitioners to undertake digital recording, laser scanning, climate monitoring and water quality sampling inside Koonalda Cave, a highly significant site for Mirning custodians and the Aboriginal peoples of the Far West Coast.

Your views will help decide whether ministerial authorisation should be granted to the Applicant, and others engaged by the Applicant to undertake the activities.

Background

The Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, who is responsible for the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1988 (SA) (Act), has received an application for authorisation under section 23 of the Act to enable the Applicant to undertake an Expression of Interest (EOI) process in order to capture baseline data to support the ongoing conservation and protection of the cave.

Section 23 of the Act makes it an offence to damage, disturb and/or interfere with Aboriginal heritage without authorisation from the Minister.

Get involved

Section 13 of the Act requires the Minister to consult with relevant Traditional Owners, the State Aboriginal Heritage Committee (Committee) and any other Aboriginal people or organisations that he considers may have an interest in this matter.

If you are a Traditional Owner or an interested Aboriginal party, please read the Consultation Information Pack and Consultation Notice as well as information available on AAR’s website and consider responding to at least the following questions:

  • Should the authorisation sought by the Applicant be granted? Why or why not?
  • If the authorisation is granted, what conditions (if any) should be imposed?
  • Will the Project provide you with any direct or indirect benefits (e.g., cultural, financial or personal)?
  • Are there any other matters the Minister should consider when deciding this application?

If you wish to learn more, to lodge a submission and/or be notified once a decision in this matter has been made, you can:

  • Call us on (08) 8363 8622
  • Visit AAR’s website
  • Email your feedback to AAR.CIR@sa.gov.au
  • Post your feedback to:
    Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation
    Attorney-General’s Department
    GPO Box 464, ADELAIDE SA 5001

See the Consultation Information Pack for further details on how to lodge a verbal or written submission. Further information can be found on AAR's website.

AAR is available to assist people to record submissions if they have any difficulty in doing so.

Submissions must be received by AAR by 5 July 2025.

What are the next steps?

You may request that AAR keeps any cultural information in your submission confidential. AAR will facilitate these requests, where possible, in line with procedural fairness principles. Otherwise, AAR will forward your submissions in full to the Applicant for comment. Once the public consultation has closed, AAR will forward your submissions and the Applicant’s comments to the Committee, whose views will also be sought.

AAR will collate all submissions, the Applicant’s responses to them, the Committee’s advice, and its own recommendations to the Minister to make a final decision about the application.