Very soon, the proposed Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2020 will be rushed through WA Parliament.

Our heritage has been trashed in the past and hundreds of sites are at risk of harm or destruction right now.

Many of our sacred sites intersect sacred waterways, cave systems, Songlines and Dreamtime locations, with irreplaceable engravings, paintings and artefacts dating back tens of thousands of years. No one can afford to lose more of this precious cultural heritage.

This Bill will not stop the destruction of cultural heritage sites. It is weaker than the existing Act and will not redress the power imbalance between big mining companies and Traditional Owners.

The Bill gives the Minister, not mob, the power to have the final say on destruction of sacred sites.

The proposed laws don’t respect our right to self-determine what happens to our cultural heritage sites, nor enshrine important principles of free, prior and informed consent which are set out in the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

Tell the Premier the Bill must be withdrawn and strong new laws designed.