LAST month’s Letter to Editor titled All aboard, we’re going to hell commented on laws under WA’s Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2021, saying “These everyday activities would include all ground disturbance to a depth of 50 millimetres (yes that’s 5cm)”.
This was quoted as being copied from WA’s Farm Weekly magazine.
The statement is not correct, and Farm Weekly got it wrong.
Read more
I have contacted the magazine about the error and asked that it be publicly corrected.
Misinformation such as this is concerning for farmers, miners and Aboriginal people alike, and in fact for all Australians.
The letter also went on to say it was “likely that everyday farming activities will be illegal” without the approval of a Local Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Service.
This also is incorrect.
In a recent opinion piece by WA Aboriginal Affairs Minister Tony Buti in The West Australian newspaper ‘The hard facts on the new Aboriginal cultural heritage laws’, Dr Buti said: “Where there won’t be any impact to Aboriginal cultural heritage, no approval is required.
“A farmer will not require approval to plant a crop, run livestock, replace a fence or other infrastructure …”.
The fact is that most local farming activities will be exempt under the new Aboriginal heritage protection law.
Land in our local Toodyay area used for crops, pasture and stock is likely to have destroyed any remnant Aboriginal cultural heritage through clearing, damming, grazing and cropping over many decades prior to the new the law taking effect.
What the Act does do is give Aboriginal people – for the first time ever – an opportunity to ‘protect’ what little remains of their centuries-old cultural heritage.
The State Government is the biggest WA landholder affected by the new law.
For all new land development and mining activities, there now is a three-tiered system for obtaining heritage approval.
This follows extensive public consultation over the past five years, including with WA agricultural and mining industry representatives.
Due to confusion and misinformation, I believe that a six-month extension prior to this month’s implementation would have helped allay unwarranted fears and concerns.
We are all trying our best to preserve all forms of remaining heritage – both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal – in our historic region.
Helen Shanks
Toodyay
