Funding will be allocated to protecting and supporting Aboriginal cultural heritage across New South Wales after securing funding from the Digital Restart Fund.
The new Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Information System (ACHIS) will allow government and industry to work proactively with communities to enable Aboriginal people to effectively monitor and manage their cultural data.
Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Victor Dominello said Heritage NSW and Aboriginal Affairs have been successful in securing $500,000 from the Digital Restart Fund as an initial investment for a new digital system.
'This funding will kick start our goal of ensuring cultural information is brought up to modern standards,' Mr Dominello said.
Minister for Heritage James Griffin welcomed the Digital Restart Fund investment as a critical step in supporting cultural heritage.
'This project will put Aboriginal community knowledge at the heart of the new system's design,' Mr Griffin said.
'We will work closely with the Aboriginal Community to understand their cultural needs, how they want to interact with their data, and how we can design a solution that enables Aboriginal people to be the true custodians of their culture.
'The current Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System holds information about more than 100,000 Aboriginal sites and objects. It records more than 14,000 Aboriginal archeological and cultural heritage reports from more than 45 years. This is more than any Australian jurisdiction.'
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Ben Franklin said the initiative will transform the way the NSW Government supports and manages Aboriginal cultural heritage.
'The Aboriginal Community feedback has told us the way we manage cultural information needs to be better, and I am pleased to take this next step in delivering the improvements Aboriginal people want to see,' Mr Franklin said.
'Aboriginal people are the experts in managing their cultural knowledge. This funding will allow the government to have collaborative discussions with Aboriginal Elders and communities to understand how we best work together.
'I am so excited to support a culturally-centric approach that will deliver the digital support NSW Aboriginal communities have been asking for.'
