For offshore project developers, success lies in early collaboration with Traditional Owners.

Prioritising cultural heritage in planning, particularly across Aboriginal Sea Country, spanning millions of hectares around Australia's 34,000km coastline, is enhanced by partnering early and seeking archaeological expertise.

Extent Heritage, part of RSK Group, is a leading Australian company in heritage management and archaeology.

Erica Walther, an archeologist, cultural heritage adviser, and Manager of the Sea Country Unit of Extent Heritage, said there are many new facets to building infrastructure off Australia's coastlines, and it's challenging the country's existing laws because it hasn't been done this way before.

"Developers who partner with Traditional Owners and equip their projects with archeological expertise are best placed to navigate project requirements as the legal framework and government policy continue to evolve," Ms Walther said.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people maintain a continuous 65,000-year-plus connection to both land and Sea Country.

Sea Country, once connected by a land bridge (e.g., Victoria and Tasmania), held special significance for Traditional Owners until around 14,000 years ago, when Australia's total land mass was over 2 million square kilometers larger than today.

"It's important for developers to understand First Nations heritage in their project areas," Ms Walther said.

"There are substantial potential archaeological and educational benefits in exploring Sea Country to find out more about the landscapes and seascapes that have significance, and tie back into the Dreaming story."

Aboriginal dreaming stories intricately weave the history and culture of the flooding of Port Phillip Bay and Western Port Bay near Melbourne, blending tangible and intangible elements over time.

In Victoria's Gippsland area, the testing ground for these considerations of Sea Country and the establishment of social license through appropriate management with Traditional Owners is underway.

The Gippsland area, earmarked for a 2.085GW offshore wind project, anticipates the state government's imminent award of a commercial license to commence the planned works.

"But businesses need to have a long-range view to think about potential impacts to tangible and intangible cultural heritage, and the work they'll need to be doing to understand and manage this over the next 10 plus years of their development cycle," Ms Walther said.

Before venturing into offshore development, Ms Walther urged potential developers to adhere to best practices.

"Partner with Indigenous communities to appreciate their connections to Sea Country. Invite in expertise with rigorous methodology to identify what's submerged so significant cultural heritage can be accommodated into your planning," she said.

"All that is part of your due diligence for a feasibility licence from the Commonwealth Government and will set you on a path to gaining social license through what might now seem like no man's land."