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Premier Roger Cook continues to resist pressure to push back the start date of revamped Aboriginal heritage laws despite acknowledging fears a shambolic rollout risks torpedoing support for the Voice referendum in WA.

Farmers, property developers, miners and exploration companies have all raised concerns about the July 1 implementation of the new Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act, while more than 26,000 people have now signed a petition requesting a six-month delay.

Guidelines for implementing the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act, coming into effect on July 1, are still not available, leaving West Australian farmers industry and property owners more confused than ever.
You could be forgiven for not knowing anything about the State Government’s new Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act, set to come into effect on July 1.It seems many didn’t. But before you dismiss it as something that doesn’t affect you, think again. It’s not just farmers, miners or industry groups affected by these changes.

WA LEGAL firms and mining companies have reacted to the imminent introduction of the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act (2023) by staging their own information sessions and creating online resources to inform farmers, pastoralists and mining interests about the impact of the new legislation on their activities. The act comes into effect on July 1 and has far-reaching implications for farmers and pastoralists, including the likelihood of higher penalties for breaches. The Pastoralists and Graziers’ Association of WA and WAFarmers oppose the new act and say it will be costly and time-consuming for farmers.

Farmers fear their ability to do basic tasks like fencing or deep ripping will become tangled in costly red tape when important new legislation designed to protect WA’s Aboriginal cultural heritage takes effect next month. The Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2021 was passed through State Parliament in late December in the wake of Rio Tinto’s infamous blasting of Juukan Gorge more than two years earlier.

New Indigenous heritage laws set to come into force in Western Australia are “shambolic” and will hold up new mines and food production in the state, according to the explorers and farmers. But the government says it won’t reconsider or delay the proposal, which is due to take effect on July 1, legislated after the widely condemned destruction of the Juukan Gorge heritage site by Rio Tinto in 2020.

S. Kidman & Co and the Santa Gertrudis Society for “Santas in July” at the Norman Hotel, please see promotional flyer.

“Having grown up on stations which I loved very much, stations and farms have and always will be close to my heart,” she said. “Rural Aid is an organisation that ‘stands with our mates in the bush’ during their hard times, and it does get tough in the bush, with floods, fires and severe drought, in addition to the usual dangers of snakes, spiders and in some northern areas, crocodiles too. “As patron of Rural Aid, I encourage all Australians to throw their support behind its ongoing efforts in ensuring that our food producers – our farmers – are able to get back on their feet quickly when drought, flood or bushfire hits them.”

2023