Tehan backs Victorian cultural heritage rethink to improve transparency and cut costs

Federal Liberal frontbencher Dan Tehan wants an overhaul of Victoria’s cultural heritage laws in the wake of dysfunctional major project processes and the rock climbing saga.

There are plans for large-scale rock climbing bans on Mount Arapiles. Picture: Nadir Kinani

You can now listen to The Australian's articles. Give us your feedback.

You can now listen to The Australian's articles.

Cultural heritage laws in Victoria are so opaque that an urgent overhaul is needed to address construction issues and deal with a ban on rock climbing, federal Liberal frontbencher Dan Tehan says.

Mr Tehan has warned the chaos that surrounds bans on rock climbing is only part of the challenge, with projects such as a major water pipeline and roads facing blowouts and delays amid cultural heritage concerns.

The Victorian government is under pressure to overhaul cultural heritage legislation, which has driven the crackdown on rock climbing in Victoria, ultimately leading to the departure of former Parks Victoria chief Matthew Jackson.

The laws include measures that keep secret some of the evidence used to make decisions, and include stiff penalties for breaches.

Evidence used to make decisions on cultural heritage grounds is routinely not made public.

Mr Tehan, whose Victorian electorate of Wannon includes part of the Grampians region, said the impact of the Aboriginal Heritage Act needed to be examined because of the flow-on effect of some decisions on local communities.

Federal Liberal frontbencher Dan Tehan. Picture: Martin Ollman/NewsWire

The small town of Natimuk, near Mount Arapiles/Dyurrite in western Victoria, has been smashed by plans to gut climbing at the nearby rock.

Mr Tehan said communities should not be negatively impacted by a system that lacked transparency. There were broad issues facing people, he added.

“Changes are an absolute necessity because communities are being hurt by the current laws and the grossly incompetent way the state government has been dealing with them,’’ he said.

“There is example after example of what it is costing local communities.’’

He cited delays and cost blowouts to a new Grampians pipeline as an example of where the system needed to change.

The Victorian government is also awaiting the completion of a cultural heritage study affecting upgrades to the Western Highway, the main Adelaide-Melbourne route.

There have been long-running delays to changes in the highway in western Victoria, including over the status of birthing trees sacred to the Djab Wurrung people.

“This is an issue everywhere,’’ Mr Tehan said, adding any review of the law should enforce transparency and enable construction timelines to be adhered to.

Former state Liberal leader John Pesutto previously flagged cultural heritage overhauls to help speed up housing approvals.

Mr Pesutto had said cultural heritage laws were imposing a burden on residential housing developers.

He promised the Coalition would establish clear timelines and costs for cultural heritage procedures and to publish each year audits of cultural heritage approvals linked to housing developments.

Mr Tehan said reform was essential to save on costs and provide more certainty for affected communities.

The town of Natimuk has been hit by plans to gut climbing at Mount Arapiles. Picture: Nadir Kinani

Anger over large-scale rock climbing bans at Mount Arapiles and the nearby Grampians National Park has sparked a bitter debate about the need to protect cultural heritage but maintain adequate access.

The Victorian government is reviewing its draft management plan at the Mount Arapiles-Tooan State Park.

The government broadened climber and community engagement, which is required under the law.

The question is whether the government is prepared to fight with local Indigenous leaders over the future of the rock.

More than half of the routes at the rock have been earmarked to be shut down under the plan. But the cultural heritage evidence for the move has not been released in detail.

The Australian revealed last year that Indigenous and cultural heritage experts had known for decades there were few identified rock art sites at Arapiles, and that potentially ancient stone quarries were rarely noticed by visitors, and were difficult to disturb or destroy.

An archaeological assessment made in 1992 also makes clear that graffiti occurred at the site as far back as 1906 – nearly 60 years before rock climbing began at Arapiles.