Contested Ground: What Do We Do Now?

As our cities continue to expand, the past is not left behind – it re-emerges. Beneath construction sites, roads and new developments, traces of earlier lives surface, raising urgent questions not just of discovery, but of responsibility.

Our first Contested Ground program started the conversation; this discussion shifts the focus from recovery to action. What policies are being put into place to protect the artefacts that are unearthed? Who decides their value, their future, their care? And in a landscape shaped by competing priorities, who is ultimately responsible for their preservation?

Bringing back together leading voices in archaeology, this panel moves beyond theory to explore practical models, ethical frameworks and shared responsibilities for managing Australia’s archaeological record.

Presented as part of History Week 2026.

Speakers

• Dr. Charlotte Feakins (Moderator), Lecturer in Museum and Heritage Studies & Archaeology, MHST Heritage Studies Coordinator, The University of Sydney
• Dr. Wayne Johnson, Head of Heritage, Archaeology, Placemaking NSW
• Dr. Paul Irish, Director/Historian, Coast History
• Tim Smith OAM, Director, Environment, Biodiversity and Heritage Advisory, Development Coordination Authority
• Sharon Veale, Chief Executive Officer, GML Heritage and Board member, Museums of History NSW
• Rowena Welsh-Jarrett (Dharawal / Gumbaynggirr), Director, RWJ Pty LTD