SITESANDSOCIETIES:TOWARDSANINTEGRATEDAND

MULTIDISCIPLINARYAPPROACHTOCULTURALHERITAGEMANAGEMENTINAUSTRALIA

MagaliMcDuffiemagalimcduffie@gmail.com

ORCIDIDorcid.org/0000000246282918

KEYWORDSAboriginal,culture,sites,community,law,consultation,heritage,management,development,respectABSTRACTAsafilmmakerandresearcherworkingwithAboriginalcommunities,Ihavewitnessedanddocumentedtheseeminglyinsurmountableobstaclesputinthewayofcommunitieswhoaretryingtoprotecttheirculturalheritageinthecontextofdevelopment.InthispaperIpresentacasestudywhichIworkedonforthreeyearswiththeTweedAboriginalcommunity,namelytheissuesinthemanagementofAboriginalCulturalHeritageemergingfromtheconstructionoftheTugunBypass,whichIhavedocumentedinafilmentitledBypassed:TheErosionofourCulturalandEnvironmentalLandscapes,2006.Thiscasestudywillfocusonthefactthatmostculturalheritagesurveysoccurringinthecontextofdevelopmentorminingexplorationconcentrateonsitesratherthanthesocietiesthosesitesareassociatedwith,particularlyinurbanareas,resultinginfailedconsultationprocesses,conflicts,andeventuallylossofculturalheritagedataandeducationalopportunities.Iwillsuggestsomepotentialalternativestoaconflictbasedparadigm,andarguethecaseforamoremultidisciplinaryapproachinculturalheritagemanagement.

mailto:magalimcduffie@gmail.comhttp://www.magalimcduffie.com/films/2015/10/8/bypassed-the-erosion-of-our-cultural-and-environmental-landscapeshttp://www.magalimcduffie.com/films/2015/10/8/bypassed-the-erosion-of-our-cultural-and-environmental-landscapes

THETUGUNBYPASSPROCESS:ACASESTUDYTheTugunBypassisafourlanehighwaycrossingtheQueenslandNewSouthWalesborderontheSouthernGoldCoast.ItwasopenedtotrafficinJune2008.Thissevenkmbypasshasbeenplaguedbycontroversyeversinceitwasproposedtenyearsagoandwasthesubjectofanumberofchallengesinthecourts.Althoughenvironmentalimpactsoftheroadwereandstillare,amajorconcern,IwillconcentratehereonlyontheissuesofAboriginalCulturalHeritageforthepurposesofthisdiscussionpaper.InparticularIwillexaminethefailureoftheQueenslandandNSWgovernments,andQueenslandMainRoads,tomeaningfullyengagethelocaltraditionalownersintheAboriginalCulturalHeritageprocess. Theconflictbasedapproachwhichwasusednotonlyresultedinthepartialdestructionofamajorculturallandscape,thoughtbyonearchaeologist,H.J.Hall,tobelastofitskindinthewiderregion(Hall,1990,p18)italsocompletelycutoffpedestrianaccesstothearea,whichisnowonlyaccessiblebyboatanimportantpointforthelocalAboriginalcustodiansformostofwhomitisnowimpossibletoaccesstheirculturalsitesandtopracticetheirtraditionsontheircountry. TheTugunBypasswasbuiltinanecologicallyandculturallysensitiveareabetweentheGoldCoastAirportandtheCobakiLakessystem.MonitoringtheAboriginalCulturalHeritageprocessasawholeprovedtobeverycomplexastheTugunBypasscameunderthreejurisdictions:theNewSouthWales,Queensland,andCommonwealthgovernments,eachworkingundertheirowndifferentAboriginalHeritageActsandpolicies.ThemainproponentoftheTugunBypasswasQueenslandMainRoadsasthisDepartmentfundedthewholeproject.In1999/2000,fourmajorrouteoptionswereinitiallyproposed,anditwasclearfromthestartthattheC4optionwasnotsupportedbytheAboriginalcommunity.ThethenNewSouthWalesMinisterforRoads,Mr.CarlScully,alsoopposedtheC4optiononenvironmentalgrounds,becauseheconsidereditsenvironmentalimpactstobeinsurmountable(Scully,2003).In2005,aconsultationprocesswasestablishedfortheC4optionand177Aboriginalpartiesregisteredtheirinterest.ThelocalAboriginalcommunityreferstothisareaastheoldMurrabacamp.Throughoralhistory,itisknownasagatheringandmeetingplaceofdifferentAboriginalnations

throughouttheregion.ThissiteisstillregardedtodayasaverysignificantplaceforAboriginalpeoplee.Severalgenerationsofthelocalcommunitycontinuetousetheareaforgatheringtraditionalfoodsandexpressingtheirculturaltraditions(Fox,2004).Theashesofacommunitymemberwerescatteredtherein1991byhisfamilyathisrequest(EasternYugambehLimitedandTweedByronAboriginalLandCouncil,2005).Furthermore,copiesofextensivehistoricalaccountsfromearlyexplorers,pioneers,settlers,surveyorsandtravellersallpointtothesignificanceoftheMurrabalandscape,andareavailableatLowerTweedRiverHistoricalSociety.Forinstance,SirJosephBanksnotedhispositionandrecordedthenumberoffireshesawbeyondthemaindunewhilstsailingpastPointDangerontheEndeavour(BanksDiaries,17681771,1997).CaptainJoeKirkwooddescribesacampwithAboriginalsnearKirrain1869,whereheidentifiesboomerangthrowing,feasting,andwardancesinthevicinityofthepresentdayairport(Kirkwood,1924,p11).Inanotherinstance,J.G.AppellgivesafirsthandaccountofthefavouritecampoftheAboriginalsatTugunwhentravellingthroughtheareaonhorseback.ThecampsAboriginalname,Murrawba,ismentionedbyhiminhisobservationsintheLoganWitnessNewspaper(Appell,1885).ForthelocalAboriginalcommunity,theMurrabaLandscapeconsistsofafabricofinterrelatedsitessuchasceremonialgrounds,toolmakingsites,middens,campsites,scarredtrees,womenssites,andpotentialburialgrounds.Oneofthemajorconcernsofthecommunitywasthehighprobabilityofburialgroundsoccurringinthehigherridgesofthesandduneswherealotofexcavationworkwasgoingtohappen.Overthelasttenyears,archaeologicalsurveysstressingthesignificanceoftheareaasasitecomplexhavebeencarriedout.In1990,H.J.Hallstatedthatthesitecomplexwastheonlyoneintheregionthatretainedmuchofitsformerenvironmentalcontext,mentioning,forinstance,thatstonesusedtoprocessaparticularrootwerefoundtherewithrichlivingcommunitiesofthisplant(Hall,1990,p18).In1999,JackieCollinsstated,inherarchaeologicalreportaboutthearea,thatitisclearfromevidencepresentedinthisreportthatwelldrainedsectionsofcoastalplaininthegeneralvicinityofCobakiBroadwaterhaveahighlevelofarchaeologicalsensitivityandthatanyhighwayrealignmentcorridorthroughthewesternsectionofCoolangattaairportwillbevirtuallycertaintointerceptwithAboriginalculturalmaterials.(Collins,1999,p44).

Takingthesereportsintoaccountaswellastheirownknowledgeofthesites,theAboriginalcommunitybelievedthattheMurrabalandscapealsohadstrongpotentialforfuturescientificandeducationalpurposes,notonlyforthelocalAboriginalcommunity,butalsoforthewiderpopulationoftheregion.APreliminaryCulturalHeritageSurveywasundertakenbyEasternYugambehLtd(EasternYugambehLimitedandTweedByronAboriginalLandCouncil,2005),anAboriginalorganisationcomprisingoftraditionalowners,andtheTweedByronLocalAboriginalLandCouncil(TBLALC).Atthetime,theyjointlyrepresented174outofthe177registeredAboriginalparties.ThisreportwasaimedatprovidingguidelinesforabestpracticeCulturalHeritageManagementPlantobedrafted.Fivefieldsurveyswalkoverswerecarriedoutwithtraditionalownersandconsultantarchaeologistsin2005.EasternYugambeh/TBLALCthendividedtheBypassareainto13zonesofinterestforeaseofdiscussion,andforeachofthezones,providedinformationonthefollowingtopics:

HistoricUseandDistribution LandformsandCurrentCondition CulturalMaterialFoundbySurveyTeam LikelyEffectsduringConstruction InterimArchaeologicalRecommendations

(EasternYugambehLimitedandTweedByronAboriginalLandCouncil,2005).EasternYugambeh/TBLALCalsoprovidedinformationabouttheirownconsultationprocesswiththecommunity,and,importantly,advocatedforanIndigenousHistoricalStudyoftheareaasadistinctcomponentofaCulturalHeritageAssessment(EasternYugambehLimitedandTweedByronAboriginalLandCouncil,2005,p48).Theoutcomesofsuchastudywereidentifiedasbeing,firstly,atechnicalreportforCulturalHeritageAssessment,whichwouldincludethelocalstoriesandhistoryofthearea,andsecondly,acompilationofthereportmaterialsintoanaccessiblecommunityresource.Alltherecommendationsmadeinthereportwerecompatiblewiththetimeframeofconstructionproposedbytheproponents.TheAboriginalcommunitysmainintentionwasnotsomuchtostoptheconstructionofTugunBypassfromproceeding,astheyunderstoodtheneedforatrafficsolutionatTugun,butrather,togainabetterunderstandingofthesignificanceofthewholearea

throughamorethorougharchaeologicalsurvey,aswellasasocial,culturalandanthropologicalstudybeforetheareawasirreparablyaffected.Thecommunityconsistentlyarguedthatwalkoversalonewerenotsufficienttodeterminesignificance,astheydidnotshowwhatwasunderneaththeground.Someoftherecommendationsincludedthetestpittingand/orculturalmonitoringofmostzones.Somecommunitymemberssuggestedtheuseofagroundpenetratingradarinareaswhichwerethoughttobepotentialburialgrounds.ItshouldalsobenotedthathavingrecentlyengagedintheBundjalungMappingProcessincollaborationwithSouthernCrossUniversity,andbeingintheinitialstagesofregisteringaNativeTitleClaimontheTweedGoldCoastarea,thecommunitywasinauniquepositionofbeingabletoprovideadatabaseofrecognizedtraditionalownerswithknowledgeofthedifferentareasoftheBypass,andtheirhistory.Overtwoyears,thecommunityendeavouredtodevelopaprocessofcollaborativeworkwithQueenslandMainRoadswhichcouldhaveledtoabestpracticeAboriginalCulturalHeritageManagementPlan.Intheearlystagesofconsultation,theAboriginalcommunitywasnotresourcedfortheirinvolvementandengagementintheprocess.However,in2005,limitedfundingbecameavailable,tocarryoutthepreliminarywork,whichincludedreviewingdraftreportsandculturalheritageassessmentsforthreedifferentjurisdictions,writingsubmissions,attendingmeetings,fieldworkandwalkovers.Itisalsoimportanttonoteherethattheparticipantstothewalkoverswerethenexpectedtoinformtherestofthecommunity,i.e.thosewhowerenotregisteredstakeholders,essentially,hundredsofpeople,oftheresultsoftheirinvestigations,intheirowntime,andwiththeirownresources.Thisputaconsiderableamountofpressureonafewmembersofthecommunitywhohadtomakethemselvesreadilyavailablefortheproponent,oftenatveryshortnotice. Inlightofallthis,theresultsoftheconsultationprocessandoftheAboriginalCulturalHeritageManagementprocessweremorethandisappointing.Overall,QueenslandMainRoadsappearedtogiveprioritytothethreeregisteredpartiesthatsupportedtheC4route,overthe174otherregisteredAboriginalpartieswhodidnotsupportit.OfalltherecommendationssuggestedbyEasternYugambehLtd/TBLALCintheirPreliminaryCulturalHeritageAssessment,fewweretakenintoaccount.WhilstthearchaeologistinchargeofdraftingtheAboriginalCultu