The destruction by Rio Tinto of the 46,000 year old caves at Juukan Gorge confirmed what First Nations peoples have long known: our cultures and sacred sites are routinely trashed, with thousands “lawfully” destroyed under the Western Australian Aboriginal Heritage Act. The loss was not an isolated incident, rather an example of the heartbreaking consequences of a legal system stacked against the rights of Traditional Owners to speak for country.
The Aboriginal Heritage Action Alliance is a community action group, led by senior Traditional Owners with cultural authority from across Western Australia, demanding a new WA Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Bill which enshrines our right to say ‘no’ to the destruction of our sacred sites.The Bill in its current form is not acceptable and should be withdrawn.
