Just five weeks after being legislated, Roger Cook announces the WA government will be scrapping its Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Laws which he says caused ‘division’ and ‘confusion’ in the community.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Mr Cook denied there had been any pressure exerted by the federal government to repeal the laws, amid speculation that confusion surrounding the act was muddying the waters around the Voice referendum.
However, Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton continued to try to link the issues today while praising the decision to rescind the law, which he said had been “imposed in an ideological way.”
Continuing to sell the backflip as a result of the government listening to the community, Aboriginal Affairs Minister Tony Buti reiterated the intention was to avoid another incident like Juukan Gorge.
“We wanted to provide legislation equipped with greater certainty and protection for Aboriginal cultural heritage, but unfortunately it did not deliver the clarity and security that we desired,” he said.
Addressing a rally of hundreds of farmers on the steps of Parliament House, opposition leader Shane Love said the government’s backdown was a “great testament to people power” over a “failed act”.
On Saturday the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura Aboriginal Corporation, native title holders for the Juukan Gorge, said they felt “betrayed” by the government’s plans to revert to the previous act.
I’m a bot and I’m open source!
The day after the Garma Festival wraps up we get confirmation of this from the WA government.
One has to wonder how Albanese thought himself capable of convincing the Australian public of a need to listen to First Nations voices when this and similar issues are rife within his own party. For the stakes the referendum has put on the table for First Nations people Labor isn’t fighting near hard enough. Publicly or internally.
The new laws were so broad, that any homeowner whose house sits on more than 1100m^2 could be covered. And if you’re near a body of water, assessment becomes mandatory for anything ground disturbing. So the owner of a 3x1 on 1/3rd of an acre in Cannington would need to pay thousands of dollars for an assessment if they want to plant a tree in their backyard - does that seem reasonable?
“Suite mate we can come out on country and do the survey for you.”
Yes. How do you think council heritage overlays and easements work?
We already have these sorts of structures, assessments processes, and limitations in place under the Crown. It’s reasonable to expect a First Nations equivalent.
An easement is listed when you buy a property. It’s detailed on the property title, and has drawings showing where it is, and who has access.
These new laws were the complete opposite - as long as the property was larger than 1100m^2, it was assumed to be of cultural significance until proven otherwise. The landowner needs to notify aboriginal people (whoever that is?), then they take their feedback to apply for a permit from the government, then the government will notify aboriginal people (again, who?) then based on their feedback will issue a permit (or not). And this same process would apply wether you’re fixing the retic in your suburban backyard, or digging a billion tonne open cut mining pit in the Pilbara.