Aboriginal cultural values and floodplain management
Draft Victorian Floodplain Management Strategy
The Victorian Government is seeking public feedback on the Draft Victorian Floodplain
Management Strategy.
The proposed policies, actions and accountabilities set the policy direction for floodplain
management in Victoria.
This handout sets out the proposals in the draft strategy that relate to Aboriginal cultural values
and floodplain management.
The floodplain management strategy aims to better prepare Victoria for severe flooding by
improving the evaluation and communication of flood risks. In this way it aims to enable
communities and relevant agencies to take better-informed actions to manage floods.
The draft strategy builds on important lessons from the 2010, 2011 and 2012 floods. It also
integrates the outcomes of the subsequent review into the effectiveness of flood warning and
response systems, and the inquiry into flood mitigation infrastructure.
Incorporating cultural values into floodplain management
Waterways and floodplain areas have always been important places for Aboriginal people to
come together as families and communities for cultural, social and recreational activities. Access
to floodplain areas is important for this to continue and for future generations of Aboriginal
people to learn about their culture.
Indigenous people possess intimate knowledge of their local environments and have complex
value systems in connection with water and biodiversity. This knowledge is integral to the
holistic management of waterway health.
Traditional ecological knowledge can help to improve contemporary natural resource
management. In this way, it can also help to develop more resilient social-ecological systems. To
draw on this knowledge, the draft strategy identifies the need to better engage with Aboriginal
people.
The draft strategy aligns with the policy direction set out in the Victorian Waterway
Management Strategy (found at: http://www.depi.vic.gov.au/water/rivers-estauries-andwetlands/strategy-and-planning); it explicitly recognises the Aboriginal cultural values
associated with waterways. As a result, floodplain managers and other emergency management
agencies will undertake their activities in ways that recognise and respect Aboriginal cultural
values.
Image has been deleted Scar tree near the Avon River in Gippsland Source: DEPI
Taking account of Aboriginal cultural heritage in risk assessments
Regional floodplain management strategies will identify regional priorities in floodplain
management. These strategies will identify areas with flood risk and determine where there is a
need to improve flood prevention and mitigation efforts, such as the need to develop flood maps
or to build or repair flood mitigation infrastructure.
The draft strategy specifies that regional flood assessments and local flood studies must take
into account significant places, sites and landscapes to help ensure that cultural values are
properly reflected in regional floodplain management strategies. Figure 1 shows this risk
assessment framework.
Figure 1 – Risk Assessment framework at State, regional and local level has been deleted
1
This figure shows how funding local flood risks is dependent on risk prioritisation undertaken
at the regional level, where the risks of other local areas can be compared. This in turn
influences how the State determines state-wide priorities for investment (by comparing
regional risk assessments). The State also provides guidance for the development of local flood
studies.
Traditional Owners have a much broader information base about Aboriginal cultural heritage
than is currently available to government. Therefore, it is essential to consult with Traditional
Owners in assessing and mapping flood risks.
Regional floodplain management strategies will provide an opportunity to refine the
relationships between natural resource managers and Aboriginal people and help to ensure
cultural values are properly reflected in floodplain management.
Respecting Aboriginal and cultural heritage
The Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 requires that all Aboriginal sites, places and objects in Victoria
whether known or unknown are protected and cannot be disturbed or destroyed without
authorisation.
Cultural Heritage Management Plans are required for proposed high-impact activities in listed
areas of cultural heritage sensitivity, as defined in the Aboriginal Heritage Regulations 2007.
Cultural Heritage Management Plans are a way to protect and manage cultural heritage, while
allowing for some development.
The draft strategy identifies a need to streamline the environmental approvals process for
maintaining levees on Crown Land. This process will not change the requirements for
Aboriginal cultural heritage approval. The draft strategy explicitly refers to the need to obtain
Aboriginal cultural heritage approval before proceeding with any maintenance work.
Applications for levee maintenance permit will be lodged once the applicants provide evidence
of their compliance with Aboriginal cultural heritage requirements.
The draft strategy will result in guidelines on how to apply for permits to maintain levees on
Crown land. This will include practical advice on how applicants for these permits can seek to
meet their obligations to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage.
Cultural heritage and emergency management
The draft strategy identifies a need to provide better mapping and information to decision
makers during emergency events. The flood intelligence platform (FloodZoom) will provide
access to flood maps under various scenarios and is expected to be operational soon. It will help
decision-makers to make real time decisions before, during and after a flood event.
There are limitations to relying on this as a way to identify and consider significant Aboriginal
cultural sites, given that there is much broader information base on Aboriginal cultural heritage
than is currently available to government.
The draft strategy recognises that processes are needed to ensure that significant Aboriginal
cultural values are considered as part of the incident control arrangements during emergency
events. This would require governance arrangements that formally include the provision of
advice on Aboriginal cultural heritage considerations.
This image has been deleted. It shows Indigenous grinding grooves near the Avon River in
Gippsland Source: DEPI
Detailed information on Aboriginal cultural values and floodplain management and a range of
matters relating to floodplain management in Victoria can be found in the Draft Victorian
Floodplain Management Strategy, available at www.vic.gov.au/floodplainmanagementstrategy
or by calling the Department of Environment and Primary Industries customer service centre on
136 186.
Submission is invited
The Victorian Government welcomes feedback on the Draft Victorian Floodplain Management
Strategy. Submissions must be in writing and may be emailed to VMFS.Inquiry@depi.vic.gov.au
or sent to:
Victorian Floodplain Management Strategy
PO Box 500
East Melbourne VIC 3002
The closing date for submissions is Monday 11 August 2014.
You need to know
•
•
•
•
The information you provide in your submission, or in any other response, will only be
used by DEPI and the Interdepartmental Stakeholder Reference Group to consider as
part of the development of the final strategy. However, it may be disclosed to other
relevant agencies as part of the consultation process.
All submissions will be treated as public documents and will also be published on the
internet for public access.
All addresses, phone numbers and email details will be removed before submissions are
published on the internet. Formal requests for confidentiality will be honoured but
freedom of information access requirements will apply to submissions treated as
confidential.
If you wish to access information in your submission once it is lodged with DEPI, you
may contact the project team at the above address.
© The State of Victoria Department of Environment and Primary Industries 2014
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia licence. You are free to re-use the work
under that licence, on the condition that you credit the State of Victoria as author. The licence does not apply to
any images, photographs or branding, including the Victorian Coat of Arms, the Victorian Government logo and
the Department of Environment and Primary Industries logo. To view a copy of this licence, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/deed.en
Printed by Impact Digital, Brunswick
ISBN 978-1-74146-073-5 (Print) 978-1-74146-074-2 (pdf)
Accessibility
If you would like to receive this publication in an alternative format, please telephone the DEPI Customer Service
Centre on 136186, email customer.service@depi.vic.gov.au or via the National Relay Service on 133 677
www.relayservice.com.au. This document is also available on the internet at www.depi.vic.gov.au
Disclaimer
This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the
publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims
all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this
publication.