Genuine partnership, not box-ticking — better outcomes for communities, and smoother, lower-risk projects for proponents.
Consultation done only to satisfy a permit is where many projects come unstuck. Bringing Aboriginal communities in early, as partners, produces better cultural outcomes, reduces the risk of objection and delay, and often surfaces opportunities — interpretation, employment, Return to Country — that add genuine value to a development.
COLCO maintains its independence from any Aboriginal party — running proper, impartial consultation rather than partnering with the bodies it consults. That independence is what keeps an assessment credible to regulators and communities alike.
Dr Collins has delivered community-based heritage and training programs with Aboriginal communities across multiple states — the kind of long-term, respectful relationships that co-design depends on, and that can’t be manufactured at the last minute.
Yes — a minimum level of Aboriginal community consultation is mandatory (under the 2010 requirements in NSW, and via RAOs in the ACT). Co-design goes further, treating the community as a partner from the start, which reduces risk and produces better outcomes than meeting the minimum alone.
Speak with the COLCO team, led by Dr Sophie Collins — senior heritage expertise for the capital region. Canberra-based, servicing the ACT and NSW.
Request a consultation