Indigenous Tasmanians to be trained as Heritage Consultants

The 2024/25 Tasmanian Budget includes $1 million over two years to develop and deliver a training package which will support Tasmanian Aboriginal people to build knowledge and skills to become Aboriginal Heritage Consultants.

The training package will be developed by Aboriginal Heritage Tasmania and the Aboriginal Heritage Council and will include certified training courses, placements within Aboriginal Heritage Tasmania, and with specialist cultural heritage consultants as well as placements in Aboriginal community-based organisations.

The design and scoping of the program is expected to be finalised before the end of the year.

The Aboriginal Heritage Consultants Training program along with funding for a new Aboriginal Heritage Register will support the Tasmanian Government’s commitment to developing a new, stronger, Tasmanian Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Protection Act.

Tasmania’s Aboriginal cultural heritage is ancient, unique and irreplaceable, spanning tens of thousands of years.

Tasmanian Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Roger Jaensch, said the Tasmanian Government intends to release a Draft Exposure Bill for the new Tasmanian Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Protection Act for further consultation next month as part of its second 100-day Plan, ahead of its introduction to Parliament.

Minister Jaensch advised “to support the new Act, we have committed an additional $300,000 to finalise an improved Aboriginal Heritage Register, which will significantly improve Aboriginal Heritage assessment response times.

“The current Aboriginal Heritage Register has been in place since November 2014 and is no longer fit for purpose.

“The Register contains approximately 13,500 site recordings, Aboriginal Heritage assessment reports, digital and business records, and is critical to support Aboriginal Heritage Tasmania’s desktop review process that may prompt further management actions.”

The new Register will be web based with a public facing platform to provide greater accessibility and functionality. It is anticipated that the new Register will go live in the second quarter of 2025.