Budget blow out for Wallan’s Taylors Creek path

By Lauren Duffy

A significant increase in cultural heritage management costs has blown out Mitchell Shire Council’s budget to construct a shared path along Taylors Creek at Wallan.

In the original project costs, cultural heritage management was estimated at $35,000 but at a recent Mitchell Shire Council meeting it was revealed the current cost is now $488,577.

A significant number of artefacts were found during site testing in 2021-22.

The original budget, set out in a funding application in 2019, was for $1.7 million – $1.68 million sourced from the State Government’s Growing Suburbs Fund, and $98,395 from council.

Council will draw from Wallan Open Space Reserve funds to cover the project budget shortfall.

Councillors raised concerns at the March 20 council meeting about State Government requirements causing the cost of cultural heritage plans to soar.

Cr Bill Chisholm said anyone who read the report would have concerns about the rising costs.

“The cultural heritage management plan for this pathway has gone up substantially from $35,000 to nearly half a million dollars, which will concern us about the viability of this work into the future,” he said.

“Personally I think we’ve got to go with what we’ve got and what’s recommended here but I definitely want to see some changes and we’ve definitely got to look at the aspects of any future work along waterways.”

Cr Rob Eldridge said the project’s aim was to form a vital link around south-west Wallan.

“The cultural heritage management plan has not only delayed the project but blown out the time and the cost as well,” he said.

“The restructuring of this [program] is to get what we can from the grant and what we have put aside ourselves for this, and get as much of the project vision as we can.

“It won’t be the full project and we’ll then have to look at some additional funding for completion of that project.

“These cultural heritage management plans affect all waterways and other designated cultural heritage sites gazetted to within 200 metres of such.

“Wallan has five creeks [and] many wetlands, and this half a million dollars for this one – and this is such as small part of what the future precinct structure plans are going to [mean] for us means there is no way council and the community can pay for this.”

Cr Eldridge called on the government to assist with the ongoing issue of the costs and requirements of cultural heritage plans.

“It’s a real concern. Going forward it’s enough to break the bank, so we really need to find another solution to this problem.”

Cr Nathan Clarke said the government introduced the Aboriginal Heritage Act in 2006, requiring a statutory obligation to preserve Aboriginal cultural heritage.

“The main purpose of the act is to provide for protection of Aboriginal cultural heritage, to empower traditional owners to strengthen the ongoing right to maintain culture, to promote respect for Aboriginal cultural heritage contributing to its protection as part of the common heritage of all peoples, and this is the key part – and to the sustainable development and management of land and of the environment,” he said.

“I think it’s a case of the road to hell is paved with the best of intentions.

“The best of intentions are there – we certainly want to preserve Aboriginal cultural heritage, and that’s what the cultural heritage management plans are supposed to do.

“The trouble is that as a growth suburb we have all this development happening, we face this burden where no other established council or community had to, so they effectively built their footpaths over the top of 50,000 years of history.”

Cr Clarke said the cultural heritage requirements had only come into effect in the past 15 years.

“We need to make sure and be mindful that there’s not an eternal pile of money to burn on projects that might find themselves blocked … or threatened like this,” he said.

“I think the Indigenous people of Mitchell Shire are entitled to have footpaths. I think they are entitled to have infrastructure that other suburbs and councils get to enjoy.

“I think the State Government needs to step up here, and have a think about the funding of this sort of work. It’s their Act and they impose it on us and I think they need to look after it.”

Testing at the site involved manual excavation and sieving of a large number of ‘test pits’ along the route of the path. After artefacts were discovered, additional test pits were required to be dug.

During the testing, a minimum of two cultural heritage advisors and two Registered Aboriginal Party representatives were required on site.
All councillors except Mayor Fiona Stevens voted in favour of the recommendations.

The recommendations include that the awards contract stage one, parts A, B an C, be awarded to Cole Civil for $1.47 million; endorse a contingency allowance of up to $147,732 in addition to the contract sum; and endorse a project management allowance of up to $44,319 in addition to the contract sum.