Western Australia’s Government has ruled out further protections for Aboriginal heritage sites at risk of demolition following the destruction of a 46,000-year-old site in the Pilbara.
Key points:
- Last month Rio Tinto demolished rock shelters at Juukan Gorge which had cultural and archaeological significance
- Rio Tinto says it will work with traditional owners to advocate for better protection of heritage sites
- Clinton Walker wants the WA Aboriginal Heritage Act to be changed
WA Aboriginal Affairs Minister Ben Wyatt is currently reviewing the Aboriginal Heritage Act, including the controversial Section 18, which legalises the destruction of Aboriginal sites.
But he has rejected calls for a moratorium on any further work already granted under the act.
“We won’t be doing a moratorium because I think that would simply cease activity, whether it be Main Roads activity, for example, that doesn’t have any contention, or even just local governments putting in work around rivers and creeks,” Mr Wyatt told 7.30.
“But what we do and what we always do is ensure that where it comes to those areas that have more significant sites, we always encourage those miners … and the traditional owners to have their own heritage agreements and enter their own Indigenous land-use agreements that usually have much stronger heritage processes.”
It follows Rio Tinto’s recent demolition of rock shelters at Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara under a S