New Aboriginal heritage laws arriving July 1 have paralysed decision making given stiff penalties attached to breaches of laws some describe as unworkable.
New Indigenous heritage laws set to come into force in Western Australia are “shambolic” and will hold up new mines and food production in the state, according to the explorers and farmers.
Under that agreement with the Tjiwarl people, miners will have to pay 7 per cent of their exploration spend and $150 per square kilometre to traditional owners. That levy is above what junior miners typically pay, and believed to be based on agreements struck by runaway lithium success story Liontown Resources and BHP’s Nickel West business.
In what was described as a farcical scene, one mining executive asked whether planting a tree near the Swan River in Perth would require a site inspection by traditional owners and the preparation of a heritage management plan. It would depend on the size of the tree, officials replied. AMEC chief executive Warren Pearce said the forum turned into one of the biggest events it had staged, such was the level of concern. “That room was full because this transition is crucial for the industry. We are getting daily questions from industry of what to do,” he said.
But Aboriginal Affairs Minister Tony Buti has accused farmers and other critics of the regime of scaremongering.
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