Noarlunga Downs Residential Development
Consultation has concluded
If you a Traditional Owner or an Aboriginal party with an interest in the southern Adelaide region, we want to hear from you.
What's being decided?
Renewal SA (Applicant) is proposing to undertake ground disturbing works associated with the construction of a residential development at Noarlunga Downs, some 30 km south of Adelaide (Project).
The application areas are known to contain Aboriginal objects and a traditional burial site that is recorded on Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation’s (AAR’s) central archives.
Your views will help decide whether authorisations should be granted to the Applicant to potentially impact Aboriginal sites, objects and ancestral remains (together, heritage) to enable the proposed development.
The Minister for Aboriginal Affairs (Minister) has identified a conflict of interest in relation to this project and intends to delegate his power to decide this application to the Deputy Premier, as permitted under section 6 of the Act.
Background
The Minister, who is responsible for the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1988 (SA) (Act), has received an application for authorisations under the Act from the Applicant to enable the construction of a residential development at Noarlunga Downs.
The Project would involve ground disturbing works including:
- stripping of vegetation and topsoil
- earthworks to achieve required surface levels
- excavation for the construction of stormwater management infrastructure, roads and kerbing
- trenching for services
- construction of residential housing, new roads, road connections, on-street parking, and shared use paths/footpaths
- other supporting infrastructure and services.
Project works would also include landscaping, developing open spaces and establishing temporary compounds during construction.
Under the Act, authorisations under sections 21 and 23 are required to excavate land for the purposes of uncovering Aboriginal sites, objects and/or ancestral remains (together, heritage) and to damage, disturb and/or interfere with heritage.
The Applicant also seeks authorisation under section 29(1)(b) of the Act to allow radiocarbon dating of heritage samples, which requires their removal from the state to suitable testing facilities interstate or overseas, if requested by Traditional Owners.
Get involved
In line with section 13 of the Act, the Minister is seeking to consult with relevant Traditional Owners, the State Aboriginal Heritage Committee (Committee) and any other Aboriginal people or organisations that 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 and consider responding to at least the following questions:
- Should the authorisations sought by the Applicant be granted? Why or why not?
- If the authorisations are granted, what conditions (if any) should be imposed on them?
- 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 is made, you can:
- Attend the Aboriginal Community consultation meeting
- Visit AAR's website
- Call us on (08) 8429 9419
- 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.
AAR is available to assist people to record submissions if they have any difficulty in doing so.
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 Deputy Premier to make a final decision about the application.