Artefacts cost shock

Hamish Heard
ABORIGINAL artefacts will delay housing developments around Geelong and add thousands to the cost of new homes, according to a developer.
New state laws mean greenfield development sites must be checked for Aboriginal heritage value before building works can proceed.
The laws have drawn criticism from developers for driving up housing prices when state and federal governments were trying to increase stocks of affordable housing.
The laws could add up to $10,000 to the cost of a housing allotment within proposed suburbs between Grovedale and Mount Duneed, where 55,000 people are expected to live within 15 years.
Home buyers will be forced to wear the cost of hiring archeologists to scour the 4500-hectare development site in search of remnants of Aboriginal culture.
But Villawood Properties director Tony Johnson warned that a shortage of qualified archaeologists would mean delays for new houses.
Mr Johnson’s company has the largest portion of land in the Armstrong Creek growth corridor, with about 2000 housing lots soon to be prepared for release.
“The most common type of artefact we would encounter is a flint stone, which is basically a sharp stone the Aborigines used like a pocket knife and they would often discard them like people would discard a bottle top,” Mr Johnson said.
His company was required to register any finds, including flint stones, with Aboriginal Affairs Victoria before a decision could be made on whether the development could proceed.
“I fully support the idea of registering a campsite or a midden (Aboriginal kitchen) or a burial ground but when you’ve got a single stone artefact in the middle of a paddock that’s been worked over for a 100 years by white men – I just think it’s a little excessive,” Mr Johnson said.
He estimated archaeological checks would cost up to $10,000 for each allotment on “smaller” subdivisions close to creeks and rivers.
“There’s no doubt every study we’ve been asked to do costs a lot of money and that adds to the cost of land for buyers,” Mr Johnson said.