Heritage Victoria
Conservation
Conservation Process Q&As
Q & As
Process
What change is Heritage Victoria making to the delivery of conservation services?
In the past artefacts recovered from an archaeological investigation have been conserved by
Heritage Victoria staff at the Conservation Centre in Abbotsford.
In most cases, the applicant listed on the Heritage Act approval has been required to provide
funds to Heritage Victoria to resource artefact conservation and collection management through
the Conservation Bond Scheme.
Consistent with other jurisdictions, conservation of archaeological artefacts will now be
undertaken by appropriately qualified conservators from the private sector engaged by the
archaeologist or applicant.
Heritage Victoria will cease delivery of conservation services as of 31 January 2014. Artefacts /
collections will continue to be managed by Heritage Victoria from a storage facility in Laverton.
What involvement will Heritage Victoria have in organising conservation?
Heritage Victoria will facilitate and administer the new conservation process through the issuing
of Heritage Act approvals, provision of advice and compliance monitoring.
Heritage Victoria staff will be available to work with the archaeologists and conservators to
determine conservation needs based on artefact significance and condition. Heritage Victoria
will also review the Artefact Conservation Proposal and approve the conservation methodology.
Heritage Victoria will also be happy to provide other support including meeting with clients to
explain the new conservation system.
Who will be responsible for organising conservation in the private sector?
Applicants or archaeologists will be required to directly engage conservators as per the
arrangement in other jurisdictions. Names of qualified conservators can be found in the Heritage
Victoria Consultants Register on the Heritage Victoria website. Conservators and conservation
organisations are encouraged to apply for inclusion in the Consultants Register.
Can the Executive Director require conservation services with private industry under the
Heritage Act?
The requirement for artefacts to be conserved will continue to be conditioned through Heritage
Act approvals. This will include a requirement in the approval for appropriately qualified
conservators from the private sector to be engaged to provide conservation services. The
issuing of a Consent to Damage may be conditional on the agreement to undertake
conservation works.
Who will determine which artefacts are to be conserved? When and how will this take
place?
At the end of fieldwork, an ‘Artefact Conservation Proposal’ must be developed by the project
archaeologist and conservator which details the proposed conservation methodology for the
assemblage of artefacts. The proposal must be based on the archaeologist’s assessment of
artefact significance and other factors including the condition or intactness of the artefacts
recovered. The proposal will be a requirement of the Heritage Act approval, and must be signed
by the applicant and approved by the Executive Director (or delegate), Heritage Victoria.
Guidance on artefact conservation and other information on the new process is included in the
updated Guidelines for Investigating Historical Archaeological Artefacts and Sites.
As per current arrangements, Heritage Act approvals for highly significant sites will require a
proponent to have a conservator on-site during the course of an excavation.
What will happen to artefacts which aren’t conserved?
Materials that do not require conservation should be prepared, packaged and labelled in
accordance with the Guidelines for Investigating Historical Archaeological Artefacts and Sites.
How will artefacts be stored at the Department facility?
Artefacts will be stored at the Laverton facility in the same way they are currently stored in the
Abbotsford Conservation Centre. For information on preparation, packaging and labelling
requirements refer to the Guidelines for Investigating Historical Archaeological Artefacts and
Sites.
Will artefacts stored by the Department be accessible for research and access?
There will be continued access to the collections at the Laverton facility by archaeologists,
researchers, members of the public and others.
The new system will encourage and seek opportunities for the promotion, access and
interpretation of collections by the public.
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What will happen with artefacts from consents issued under the previous system?
The Abbotsford facility will not accept artefacts for conservation or storage after 31 January
2014. It is expected that deliveries of artefacts can resume from 1 November 2014 at the new
storage facility.
In cases where a Conservation Bond has been collected but artefacts have not been received
by Heritage Victoria, conservation will be outsourced to the private conservators, therefore
artefacts should still be processed in accordance with guidelines and delivered to Heritage
Victoria.
How will Heritage Victoria ensure compliance?
Heritage Victoria staff will work with project staff to ensure standards set in the Artefact
Conservation Proposal are addressed. Future approvals may not be processed if all the
conditions of a previous approval have not been met.
Heritage Victoria is committed to working with all parties to ensure approval conditions are met.
If necessary enforcement action will be considered.
Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning
Melbourne Victoria 3000
Telephone 136 186
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