General News
14 June, 2024
Minister's puff of smoke visit
AN ENTOURAGE of Government and Aboriginal leaders have used Lake Boort as the backdrop for a $5 million announcement. Minister for Treaty and First Peoples Natalie Hutchins was among the group in town last Wednesday but the announcement did not...
AN ENTOURAGE of Government and Aboriginal leaders have used Lake Boort as the backdrop for a $5 million announcement.
Minister for Treaty and First Peoples Natalie Hutchins was among the group in town last Wednesday but the announcement did not involve local representatives.
Loddon Shire Council has confirmed it was not invited to the mid-morning event. Paul Haw of Yung Balug Aboriginal Artefacts Museum on the banks of Lake Boort also failed to make the guest list.
Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation, Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council and representatives from the Department of Premier and Cabinet did.
A Government spokesperson said Ms Hutchins attended “the smoking ceremony and chat with DJAARA was at 10.30am.”
Ms Hutchins said $5 million in funding would support traditional owners in initiatives to protect and manage Aboriginal cultural heritage across the state.
“This might include protection of significant Aboriginal cultural landscapes, or sacred and archaeological places,” the Government said in a statement after the group had left Boort.
“Aboriginal cultural heritage is a vital part of Victoria’s history and identity, and the Labor Government is ensuring its protection for all Victorians.
“Lake Boort is one of the many culturally important places protected by Victoria’s Aboriginal cultural heritage system. Home to a significant collection of scarred trees, as well as occupation mounds, stone artefact scatters, and Aboriginal ancestral remains, the area highlights the deep relationship traditional owners hold with the landscape.”
Ms Hutchins said: ““We are proud to support traditional owners to undertake this incredibly important work to preserve and celebrate culturally significant and remarkable places, like Lake Boort. The Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Fund will ensure traditional owners are empowered to manage and protect this cultural heritage for all Victorians.
“Many Victorians may not be aware of the wealth of significant Aboriginal cultural heritage in their local areas. Whether that’s rock art that is thousands of years old, or fish traps and scar trees like those found at Lake Boort. We encourage all Victorians to learn more about Aboriginal cultural heritage in their region.”
Loddon Shire, Parks Victoria and Aboriginal groups were part of developing a Lake Boort scarred tree masterplan for Lake Boort to “balance visitor access with protection of cultural and environmental values”.
The landscape industry-award winning plan said Lake Boort currently had no designated visitor access or amenity which means visitors were “free to access all areas of the site without understanding the site’s cultural and environmental values and their need of protection”.
“The Lake Boort scarred trees project will be one of the first tourism initiatives in Victoria to develop a distinctly Indigenous experience by creating a platform to share, appreciate and protect this highly significant landscape,” the report said.
With more than 400 scarred trees, the project has been tipped to boost the local annual economy by 18 million
Inquiries by the Loddon Herald to Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council about how the $5 million will be spent and whether any funds will be used at Lake Boort had been unanswered.
Its chairperson Russell Mullett said in the Government statement: “The Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council looks forward to working with Traditional Owners, as custodians and managers of their cultural heritage, to decide on how we best use this fund to protect cultural heritage for future generations.”
Dja Dja Wurrung Group chief executive officer Rodney Carter said: “At a time when processes to protect cultural heritage are under pressure and facing challenges, this is a welcome step, which will enable traditional owner corporations to determine how cultural heritage is protected.”
According to an online post by Ms Hutchins, the member for the Melbourne seat of Sydenham: “In coming months traditional owners can apply to the council to access the fund. The fund will deliver projects chosen by traditional owners that enhance the protection of places like Lake Boort for now and future generations.”