Australia’s road to net zero must pass through Indigenous-held land, which is likely to host many clean energy projects. First Nations people want partnerships that help them protect their Country.
In this podcast Michelle and politics + society editor Amanda Dunn discuss the WA government scrapping a controversial law, the government's policy on Palestine, and the fallout from the Lehrmann case inquiry.
WA Premier Roger Cook has apologised to the state for getting the rollout “wrong”, while rejecting suggestions he was under pressure from the federal government to drop it to remove a referendum impediment
The new law, which came into effect this week, aims to better reflect the aspirations of Aboriginal people in decisions that impact their cultural heritage. Some say it doesn’t go far enough.
Traditional Owner and co-author Clinton Walker.
City of Karratha
Joe Dortch, The University of Western Australia; Anne Poelina, University of Notre Dame Australia; Jo Thomson, The University of Western Australia, and Kado Muir, Indigenous Knowledge
Western Australia’s Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Bill 2021 is set to become law. But the new legislation states one elected official will decide whether heritage sites are destroyed for development.
The A Way Forward report addresses the issues of cultural heritage protection in Australia after Rio Tinto destroyed Juukan Gorge. However, achieving change will be far from straightforward.
Juukan Gorge rock shelters in Western Australia in 2015. The 46,000-year-old caves were destroyed by mining giant Rio Tinto in May 2020.
PR Handout Image/AAP
Before the goldrush, Indigenous people told stories about how the bronzewing pigeon seeded precious minerals across the land. Europeans stole not just land, but the value deep within it.
The Juukan Gorge site following its destruction by Rio Tinto in May 2020.
PKKP Aboriginal Corporation
For far too long, mining companies have let their social and cultural heritage commitments slide. The inquiry report should be a wake-up call for the industry.
Participants in the Wintawari Guruma Rock Art Research Project record rock art near Tom Price in the Pilbara region.
Jo McDonald, CRAR+M Database, Photo reproduced with permission WGAC
There are many questions about the inquiry into the destruction of an Aboriginal heritage site, including how it will be conducted, what will be publicly disclosed and who will be protected.
Juukan Gorge photographed May 15.
Puutu Kunti Kurrama And Pinikura Aboriginal Corporation
It’s a devastating loss, but the destruction of a culturally significant Aboriginal site is not an isolated incident. Rio Tinto was acting within the law.