Western Australia’s Native Title Alliance has called on the state government to halt the progression of its Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Bill, arguing that it should not be presented to parliament until traditional owners are better consulted.
The five regional Aboriginal groups that comprise the WA Alliance of Native Title Representative Bodies and Service Providers (The WA Alliance) met yesterday to discuss the Bill, unanimously agreeing that it should not be presented to parliament in its current form.
In a statement released this afternoon, the WA Alliance confirmed that it was yet to see the outcome of the state government's five-week consultation period and demanded a summary of its findings to determine whether the concerns traditional owners had been adequately addressed.
The WA Alliance said members believed the consultation period had not been sufficient and expressed their disappointment at the process.
With a clear majority in both houses of parliament, alliance members said there was no reason for the state government to rush the passing of the legislation and called on the state government to engage in a co-design approach, where they meet with traditional owners to make amendments to the draft Bill before it was formally presented.
Prior to his retirement from politics in March, former Aboriginal affairs minister Ben Wyatt had been spearheading the Aboriginal Heritage Act reform process since 2017 to address shortcomings in the 50-year-old legislation and empower Aboriginal people to negotiate outcomes for activities that may impact on cultural heritage.
The Bill also proposes the removal of section 18 exemptions, which prevent Aboriginal groups from having their say.
