WA Farmers, Media Release, 4 August 2023

WAFarmers welcomes the Govemment’s move to scrap the new Aboriginal heritage laws and start again.

The hardest thing for any government to do is admit it got it wrong.

No doubt WAFarmers campaign over the past two years has made a huge difference.

We were one of the few lonely voices saying this was heading in the wrong direction back when the Liberals and Nationals waved the legislation through two years ago.

Since then we have repeatedly warned the government that this was never going to work across the freehold farming estate and the new model of LACHS was ripe for abuse.

We have put forward constructive suggestions of what needs to change and its more than tinkering at the edges.

The government has listened and now we will work with them to get a workable outcome.

Ultimately no one wants to see Aboriginal cultural heritage destroyed but we also don’t want to see our property rights undermined.

WAFarmers support protecting Aboriginal cultural heritage, just not at the expense of farmers property rights.

Related stories: Minister for Heritage, we have a way out; The true cost of heritage; Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act update: WAFarmers; Aboriginal Cultural Heritage – Western Australian farmers react to the new law; Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2021 (WA) – Have you got any culture?