Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act: Chaos reigns at Northam education workshop

Koorda grain grower Bev Harrap was “still confused” and visibly distressed after attending a so-called “education workshop” on WA’s new Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act in Northam last week. And just three days before the contentious legislation took effect, she wasn’t the only one. “We were confused by the whole thing, and we’re still confused,” Ms Harrap said. “I don’t agree with the way the Government has snuck this in; there’s been no consultation in our area whatsoever. “The first most people heard about this was three or four weeks ago when we were told it’s coming in on July 1.” Ms Harrap was among hundreds of anxious landowners who packed Northam Town Hall on June 28, desperately seeking clarity as they scrambled to understand their obligations under the new laws. Like many others, she left with more questions than answers. “We don’t have any Aboriginal cultural heritage on our property, but who’s to say that will be the case in two years’ time?” she said. “There is no definitive statement to say whether we are or aren’t in a cultural heritage area; we can’t even rely on the map that the Government’s put up because they don’t even know.” Ms Harrap was also furious farmers who wanted to do the right thing would have to foot the bill under the Act’s potentially expensive due diligence and approvals process. “I don’t believe that we should have to pay to have surveys and permits on our land,” she said. “The Government has brought this in, the Government should be paying for those things… Why is it always put on the farmers? “We’re the ones that produce the food and we are getting hit, hit, hit, hit, and we’re just over it. We’re really over it. “Whoever devised this, sitting in their office in Perth, needs to get out over the hill to find out what’s really happening out where people are growing the food for this country. Then they might find out the angst and the confusion that’s out there.” Pastoralist Wendy Brockhurst, whose family run Larrawa cattle station, about 150km south-east of Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley, was somewhat more optimistic. Ms Brockhurst said she now had a better understanding of the complicated new laws — but only after attending three information sessions. “I didn’t really understand how it all worked, but I certainly came here with a lot more fears than I’m leaving with,” she said. “I felt less confused leaving today… but that doesn’t mean that I understood everything the first or the second time.” Inside the hall, the frustration and confusion was palpable, with an anonymous farmer summing up the mood perfectly after three hours of chaos. “I don’t know whether it’s just me, but after this I’m more confused, I think, than I was when I came here,” he said. A York farmer, who did not want to be named, arrived at a similar conclusion. “There seems to be a lot of uncertainty about it, so I came along to see if we could get some clarification, but I think it’s only made matters worse,” he told Countryman. “It’s not clear. There’s too much grey area.” Shire of Cuballing chief executive Stan Scott was among those who directed a barrage of questions at Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage senior manager Cesar Rodriguez, who did his best under the circumstances. “Just looking at some of the activities that are described, a tier two activity is, for example, building a residence on a rural residential lot,” Mr Scott said. “But what I’m seeing from the material is you can look on the department’s website, but you can’t rely on the information there as being definitive?” Mr Rodriguez’s single word response — “correct” — evidently did not fill Mr Scott with confidence. When another attendee questioned whether the Government had any plans to subsidise farmers for costs incurred under the new system, Mr Rodriguez was unable to give a definitive answer. “That’s a good question, and has for the last month been a recurring theme,” he said. “Watch this space.”