Understorey: Traditional Owners waiting still to see Minister Dawson’s new Cultural Heritage Bill

Last year’s  destruction of the 46,000 year old rock caves at Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara was felt around the world.  Those concerned with protecting Aboriginal cultural heritage in Western Australia say Juukan Gorge wasn’t the first event of this kind, and it won’t be the last.  Hundreds of sites are at risk of harm or destruction right now.  Defenders of this cultural heritage are alerting Western Australians to the Jawaren and Garnkiny sites in the East Kimberley; Mt Richardson and Lake Wells in the Goldfields; Burrup and Harding Dam in the Pilbara; and Munday Swamp.  But these are just a few. Protectors of Aboriginal heritage here in WA are pointing to the sites that intersect sacred waterways, cave systems, songlines and sites of significance, many with irreplaceable engravings, paintings and artefacts that are tens of thousands of years old.   These precious places identified by traditional owners can be legally destroyed, right now, if the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs signs off on it – and it seems this will continue. Traditional owners want to see the Minister’s bill, which has been withheld from circulation to all but a few; they want these new laws to give Traditional Owners the final say over sites of significance; and also to meet with the Minister.  The Understorey team has requested an interview with Minister Dawson – and have asked for a copy of the proposed legislation…

Photo: Aboriginal Martu (Western Desert) Elder Bruce Thomas & Nyamal (North Pilbara) Elder Doris Eaton speak to the Walk, by A Glamorgan