Poonindie Cemetery Works

Consultation has concluded. Thanks for your contributions.

If you are an Aboriginal person or organisation with an interest in the former Poonindie Mission and/or Poonindie Cemetery near Port Lincoln, we want to hear from you.

What's being decided?

The District Council of Lower Eyre Peninsula (the Applicant) is proposing to carry out upgrade works at the Poonindie Cemetery, which is located about 17 km north of Port Lincoln. Upgrades include the installation of a new rabbit-exclusion fence, signage, benches, and a shelter. The cemetery is listed on AAR's central archives for its significance to Aboriginal history.

Before allowing any impacts to this site, the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs (the Minister) would like to hear from Traditional Owners and any other interested Aboriginal parties.

Background

The Minister has received an application for authorisations under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1988 (SA) (Act) to allow it to carry out the upgrade works at the Poonindie Cemetery. The cemetery once formed part of the former Poonindie Mission, which was operated by the Church of England from 1850 to 1894.

Under the Act, authorisations under sections 21 and 23 are required to excavate, uncover, damage, disturb or interfere with Aboriginal sites, objects and/or ancestral remains (together, heritage).

Section 13 of the Act requires the Minister to consult with the State Aboriginal Heritage Committee (the Committee), and any interested Aboriginal parties and Traditional Owners before deciding on this request.

Get involved

If you are a Traditional Owner or an interested Aboriginal party, please read the Consultation Information Pack and the Consultation Notice and consider the following key questions:

1. Should the authorisations sought by the Applicant be granted? Why or why not?

2. If the authorisations are granted, what conditions (if any) should be imposed on them?

3. Will the Project provide you with any direct or indirect benefits (e.g. cultural, financial or personal)?

4. Are there any other matters the Minister should consider when deciding this application?

To learn more, lodge a submission and/or be notified of the Minister’s decision in this matter you can:

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

AAR is available to assist you to record a submission if you have any difficulties in doing so.

Please send your submissions to AAR by Thursday 22 February 2024.

What are the next steps?

You may request AAR to keep cultural information in your submission confidential. We will respond to these requests in line with procedural fairness principles. Otherwise, we will forward submissions in full to the Applicant for comment.

Once the public consultation period closes, we will forward all submissions, and the Applicant’s comments about them, to the Committee and seek its advice on the matter.

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

If you are an Aboriginal person or organisation with an interest in the former Poonindie Mission and/or Poonindie Cemetery near Port Lincoln, we want to hear from you.

What's being decided?

The District Council of Lower Eyre Peninsula (the Applicant) is proposing to carry out upgrade works at the Poonindie Cemetery, which is located about 17 km north of Port Lincoln. Upgrades include the installation of a new rabbit-exclusion fence, signage, benches, and a shelter. The cemetery is listed on AAR's central archives for its significance to Aboriginal history.

Before allowing any impacts to this site, the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs (the Minister) would like to hear from Traditional Owners and any other interested Aboriginal parties.

Background

The Minister has received an application for authorisations under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1988 (SA) (Act) to allow it to carry out the upgrade works at the Poonindie Cemetery. The cemetery once formed part of the former Poonindie Mission, which was operated by the Church of England from 1850 to 1894.

Under the Act, authorisations under sections 21 and 23 are required to excavate, uncover, damage, disturb or interfere with Aboriginal sites, objects and/or ancestral remains (together, heritage).

Section 13 of the Act requires the Minister to consult with the State Aboriginal Heritage Committee (the Committee), and any interested Aboriginal parties and Traditional Owners before deciding on this request.

Get involved

If you are a Traditional Owner or an interested Aboriginal party, please read the Consultation Information Pack and the Consultation Notice and consider the following key questions:

1. Should the authorisations sought by the Applicant be granted? Why or why not?

2. If the authorisations are granted, what conditions (if any) should be imposed on them?

3. Will the Project provide you with any direct or indirect benefits (e.g. cultural, financial or personal)?

4. Are there any other matters the Minister should consider when deciding this application?

To learn more, lodge a submission and/or be notified of the Minister’s decision in this matter you can:

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

AAR is available to assist you to record a submission if you have any difficulties in doing so.

Please send your submissions to AAR by Thursday 22 February 2024.

What are the next steps?

You may request AAR to keep cultural information in your submission confidential. We will respond to these requests in line with procedural fairness principles. Otherwise, we will forward submissions in full to the Applicant for comment.

Once the public consultation period closes, we will forward all submissions, and the Applicant’s comments about them, to the Committee and seek its advice on the matter.

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