MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Western Australia will introduce to parliament on Wednesday a long awaited bill to safeguard Indigenous heritage during development applications, 18 months after the legal destruction of culturally significant cave sites sparked widespread anger.
The bill, which has been under revision for three years, will focus on reaching agreement with Aboriginal groups and on obtaining full, prior and informed consent for development, the state premier’s department said in a statement.
Western Australia’s mining laws have been under the spotlight since Rio Tinto destroyed rock shelters at Juukan Gorge that showed evidence of continual human habitation stretching back 46,000 years for an iron ore mine.
The rock shelters had contained remnants of a 4,000 year old hair belt that showed a genetic connection with the area’s traditional owners, as well as evidence that they were used as shelters extending back into the last Ice Age.
Amid a public uproar, three senior executives including then chief executive Jean-Sébastien Jacques left the company and parliament launched a national enquiry that found regulations must be overhauled to better account for consent.
Aboriginal groups have protested Western Australia’s draft bill, saying they have not been adequately consulted, and it still leaves the final decision on protection of their heritage in government hands.
(Reporting by Melanie Burton; editing by Richard Pullin)
