Main South Road and Victor Harbor Road Duplication Project

Are you a Traditional Owner or Aboriginal party with an interest in the Southern Adelaide region?

What's being decided?

This is a part of a wider consultation that began on Thursday 1 July 2021. This YourSAy engagement is another opportunity for you to give feedback.

We want to hear from you about a proposal to duplicate Main South Road from Seaford to Sellicks Beach, and to duplicate Victor Harbor Road from its intersection with Main South Road at Old Noarlunga to McLaren Vale.

The Department for Infrastructure and Transport's (Applicant) proposed activities involve:

• construction of new roads and potential grade separations and roundabouts
• cutting of embankments
• realignment of existing roads
• excavation of trenches for the installation and relocation of services
• drainage upgrades including construction of kerbs, gutters and culverts
• excavation for piles and/or footings
• construction of a 4 lane road bridge on Main South Road over Pedler Creek
• removal of an existing 2 lane road bridge on Main South Road over Pedler Creek.

Other activities include: construction of shared-use paths and underbridges; removal of existing vegetation to support construction and new landscaping; and creating temporary site offices and construction materials storage and laydown areas.

Ground disturbance to the Application Area will likely occur as a result of road, bridge and drainage construction activities.

Your views will help the Premier decide whether or not to authorise potential excavation, damage, disturbance or interference with Aboriginal heritage that may occur as a result of these activities.

Background

The Premier of South Australia, who is responsible for the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1988 (SA) (Act), has received an application for authorisations under sections 21 and 23 of the Act from the Applicant.

Section 21 of the Act makes it an offence to excavate land to uncover any Aboriginal site, objects or remains (Aboriginal heritage) without authorisation, while section 23 of the Act makes it an offence to damage, disturb or interfere with Aboriginal heritage without authorisation.

The Applicant has sought the authorisations to undertake the duplication of Main South Road from Seaford to Sellicks Beach, and the duplication of Victor Harbor Road from its intersection with Main South Road at Old Noarlunga to McLaren Vale.

Before considering whether to grant the authorisations, section 13 of the Act requires the Premier to consult with Traditional Owners, the State Aboriginal Heritage Committee (Committee), and other Aboriginal parties that he thinks may have an interest in the matter.

Get involved

If you are a Traditional Owner or an Aboriginal party with an interest in the Application Area, please read the Consultation Information Pack and consider the following questions:

• Should the authorisations be granted to the Applicant? Why or why not?
• If the authorisations are granted, what conditions, if any, should be placed on them?
• Are there any other matters that the Premier should be aware of when considering the application?

Have your say by:

• calling us on (08) 8226 8900
• attending a public meeting (now cancelled due to COVID19)
• emailing your feedback to DPC-AAR.CIR@sa.gov.au
• posting your feedback to:
  Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation
  GPO Box 2343
  ADELAIDE SA 5001

Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation (AAR) will endeavour to contact Aboriginal parties with a known interest in the Application Area before the consultation period closes. If you are not contacted and wish to learn more and/or lodge a submission, please contact AAR.

See the Consultation Information Pack for further details on how to lodge a verbal or written submission.

Submissions must be received by AAR by Friday 13 August 2021.

What are the next steps?

Your feedback will be treated confidentially. However, unless specified otherwise, submissions will be provided to the Applicant, the Committee and the Premier for consideration.

Once the public consultation period has closed, submissions and the Applicant’s comments will be forwarded to the Committee for its review. The Committee’s own views about the Project will also be sought. AAR will collate consultee submissions, the Applicant’s responses to them, the Committee’s advice, and its own recommendations to the Premier within a single brief to assist him to make a final decision about the application.