General News
15 March, 2026
Heritage hurdle cleared for Western Highway duplication
EASTERN Maar Aboriginal Corporation has approved the Cultural Heritage Management Plan for the Buangor–Ararat section of the Western Highway duplication, marking the completion of a major statutory step in the long-delayed project. But the approval has not yet brought clarity about when construction will resume. The organisation confirmed it had approved the Cultural Heritage Management Plan (CHMP) prepared by the Victorian Government’s transport infrastructure agency VIDA for Western Highway Duplication Section 2B.
The plan assesses cultural heritage values along the project corridor and sets conditions that must be followed if construction proceeds.
According to Eastern Maar, the assessment formally identifies and sets protections for several significant Aboriginal places within the project area, including culturally significant trees along the highway corridor.
The long-planned duplication between Buangor and Stawell has been stalled while a new Cultural Heritage Management Plan was prepared in consultation with Traditional Owners. The current plan follows the approval of an earlier CHMP by the now-defunct Martang Registered Aboriginal Party — a decision that sparked significant local backlash at the time.
The newly approved CHMP introduces a range of heritage protections, including safeguards for trees more than 200 years old, recognition of intangible cultural values and requirements for cultural monitoring during construction.
Eastern Maar said VIDA began preparing the current CHMP in 2021, when the corporation became formally involved in the project as the region’s Registered Aboriginal Party. It said the corporation had not been involved in earlier stages of cultural heritage protection work associated with the project.
Under Victoria’s Aboriginal Heritage Act, Cultural Heritage Management Plans assess the potential impact of major developments on Aboriginal cultural heritage and set out conditions that must be followed to protect those values if works proceed.
However, key questions remain about what happens next.
Asked whether the heritage plan approval clears the way for works to proceed on the Buangor–Ararat section, a Victorian Government spokesperson did not provide a direct answer.
Asked about the heritage plan approval, a spokesperson said work was continuing on a revised design for the project.
“We’ve been working on a revised design for the Western Highway duplication between Buangor and Ararat, with an updated construction timeline to be announced soon,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also pointed to interim safety measures installed along the corridor.
“We’ve installed interim safety measures on the Western Highway between Buangor and Ararat — including reduced speed limits and improved signage — to help reduce risk while longer-term upgrades are delivered.”
No specific timeframe was provided for when construction might recommence.
Duplication of the Western Highway was completed as far west as Buangor in 2016, with construction west of Buangor stalled since then.
Governments from both sides of politics have repeatedly committed funding to complete the Ballarat–Stawell duplication, describing the Western Highway as one of Victoria’s key freight corridors linking Melbourne and Adelaide.
Despite those commitments, uncertainty remains about when the remaining sections will be built.
The heritage plan approval establishes how Aboriginal cultural heritage within the corridor must be protected if works proceed.
What remains unclear is whether any further planning, design or statutory processes must still be completed before construction can begin — and when the updated construction timeline referenced by government will be announced.