WA Aboriginal heritage law amendments to be deferred as Government faces time constraints
Steve Corsini
WA Aboriginal heritage law amendments to be deferred as Government faces time constraints
By Jacob Kagi ABC News
Contentious changes to Western Australia's Aboriginal heritage laws have been put on the backburner, with the Government admitting they would not make it through State Parliament prior to next year's election.
But Aboriginal Affairs Minister Peter Collier said the proposed amendments to the Aboriginal Heritage Act would be taken to the election and would still be pursued if the Government was returned next March.
Concerns about the changes were raised by traditional owners, some lawyers and even the National Party, with warnings Aboriginal people would not be consulted adequately in heritage decisions.
Mr Collier conceded problems securing National Party support had slowed the process and the legislation would not proceed, at least until after the election.
"It is a good piece of legislation but given the extent of legislation we have at the moment that needs to get through, unfortunately it is not going to get through," he said.
"It is a significant piece of legislation and I don't want to bulldoze it through the Parliament and be accused of doing that.
"I want to make sure for a piece of legislation as significant as this it gets the air time, both publicly and in Parliament, that it so richly deserves."
The changes were first introduced to the Parliament in late 2014, but the legislation has not progressed since then.
The Legislative Assembly has just four sitting weeks remaining before the election and a long list of bills the Government hopes to get through, ending any short-term prospect of the Aboriginal Heritage Act changes proceeding.
Opposition claims changes regressive
Labor's Indigenous affairs spokesman Ben Wyatt said he hoped it was the end of the matter.
"The proposed changes are even worse than the proposed 1972 original act," he said.
"You don't respond to the desire by Aboriginal people to have a say in how Aboriginal people is being managed by removing the involvement of Aboriginal people."
But the Government had hoped the proposed changes would help it alleviate a backlog of heritage applications, which it has estimated could take as long as 80 years to clear.
The Government has faced numerous headaches over Aboriginal heritage decisions in recent years, including a Supreme Court ruling to quash a decision to deregister a sacred Port Hedland site.