Commentary
The Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act comes into effect on July 1 in Western Australia (WA). Premier Roger Cook has ruled out any delay in what has been broadly regarded as a piece of legislation that puts the state “to a grinding halt and strangles much-needed industry, housing construction, and agricultural output.”
The legislation was passed in supposed response to the destruction of old caves in Juukan Gourge by mining giant Rio Tinto on May 24, 2020. This was legal at the time.
Rio Tinto’s infamous blasting of Juukan Gorge prompted the drafting of these new laws, which the WA government passed despite widespread concerns that “this is an act that could cost farmers hundreds of millions of dollars.”…