Member for Wannon, Dan Tehan, is warning that the Albanese Labor Government’s Aboriginal heritage reforms could undermine private property rights and force property owners in Wannon to undergo expensive mandatory cultural surveys for basic activities such as mending fences or planting trees.
It comes after the Albanese Labor Government has refused to rule out that it will introduce heritage laws like Western Australia’s new Cultural Heritage Act – which impacts all those who own blocks of more than 1100 square metres. It even requires landowners to obtain cultural surveys for digging a hole more than 50 centimetres deep or lifting more than 20 kilograms of dirt.
In WA, penalties now range from $25,000 to $1 million for individuals and from $250,000 to $10 million for corporations, as well as jail time.
Mr Tehan said the WA’s new laws were a gross overreach but could soon be seen in Wannon.
Mr Tehan said the Albanese Labor Government’s proposed laws could also have the power to cancel or change future developments in Wannon.
“Labor’s changes could cost property owners enormous sums of money, with even cultural surveys alone in WA ranging from $120 to $160 per hour,” Mr Tehan.
“Labor is refusing to rule out a similar model, and I am deeply concerned for what this means in Wannon.
Mr Tehan said farmers and property owners in the regions had a strong record of protecting cultural sites, but Labor needed to use common sense.
“There is genuine fear about what these changes mean in regional, rural and remote Australia,” Mr Tehan said.
“Australians want to do the right thing, but Labor’s proposed laws, if modelled on WA’s, will only serve to divide us.”
Mr Tehan said the changes in WA had already resulted in tree-planting events being cancelled.
“The Albanese Labor Government needs to be honest with the Australian people, including by explaining whether WA’s Cultural Heritage Act will be the benchmark they use in the Federal Bill,” Mr Tehan said.
