Maritime archaeology (including shipwrecks and aircraft), and other types of underwater cultural heritage (including Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander underwater cultural Heritage), is protected in Commonwealth waters by the Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018.

Data from seabed surveys will be assessed by qualified underwater archaeologists to further identify submerged cultural heritage and landscapes and provide an Underwater Cultural Heritage Report to ConocoPhillips Australia. Should any maritime or underwater First Nations cultural heritage be identified, ConocoPhillips Australia will report the findings in accordance with the Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018.

ConocoPhillips Australia’s commitment to the protection of cultural values and sensitivities, including maritime archaeology and Sea Country, is demonstrated in our Environment Plan, including through our:

• Fauna Management Plan – protects totemic species including whales, dolphins, seals and seabirds and associated biologically important areas which may relate to song lines from underwater sound impacts
• Light Management Plan – protects culturally important light sensitive species like shearwaters and the orange-bellied parrot
• Marine Assurance Process – protects water and sediment quality important for culturally important species such as the short-finned eel and kelp, and prevents the introduction of invasive marine species
• Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) Mooring Plan – protects sensitive seabed features and underwater cultural heritage such as shipwrecks
• Operational and Scientific Monitoring Program – monitors impacts and recovery in the highly unlikely event of an accidental release of hydrocarbons.
• Oil Pollution Emergency Plan – protects coastal cultural heritage in the highly unlikely event of an accidental release of hydrocarbons

ConocoPhillips Australia respectfully acknowledges that First Nations People hold the solutions for caring for Country and appreciates that Country is a complex landscape that describes all aspects of place, environment, spirituality, law and identity, including consideration of inundated lands as Sea Country.

ConocoPhillips Australia has designed a Cultural Heritage Protection Program that seeks to:

• Build on ConocoPhillips Australia’s engagement with First Nations Peoples during consultation for the preparation of the Environment Plan.
• Provide a mechanism for co-implementing protection measures arising from ongoing consultation with First Nations Peoples that supports cultural learning and helps develop empathy for Sea Country.
• Align with, and support, the foundation principles of the rights of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination and equitable participation through community-led decision making about protection of Sea Country.

The Cultural Heritage Protection Program will fund a process whereby First Nations communities and ConocoPhillips Australia can co-design initiatives to enhance protections for cultural heritage for Sea Country.

Traditional Owner groups near or adjacent to the operational areas have been invited to participate.

For further information, please contact otway@conocophillips.com.au