❓ Hon Robin Chapple questions the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs regarding a backlog of unassessed Aboriginal heritage sites and the adequacy of funding and direction provided to the Aboriginal Cultural Material Committee (ACMC). The Minister denies any breach and highlights proposed legislative amendments to streamline processes.
AnsweredQoN 261Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
ABORIGINAL CULTURAL
MATERIAL COMMITTEE — HERITAGE SITES — BACKLOG
261. Hon ROBIN CHAPPLE to the Minister
for Aboriginal Affairs:
I refer to the current backlog of more than 15 800 sites waiting to be
assessed by the Aboriginal Cultural Material Committee.
(1) Why has the minister not directed the
ACMC to meet more regularly until this backlog is cleared as he is allowed to
do under section 10 of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972?
(2) Is the minister in breach of section 10
of the act by not providing the ACMC with sufficient funding to do the job at
hand?
MATERIAL COMMITTEE — HERITAGE SITES — BACKLOG
261. Hon ROBIN CHAPPLE to the Minister
for Aboriginal Affairs:
I refer to the current backlog of more than 15 800 sites waiting to be
assessed by the Aboriginal Cultural Material Committee.
(1) Why has the minister not directed the
ACMC to meet more regularly until this backlog is cleared as he is allowed to
do under section 10 of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972?
(2) Is the minister in breach of section 10
of the act by not providing the ACMC with sufficient funding to do the job at
hand?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for some notice of this question.
(1) Section 10 of the Aboriginal Heritage
Act 1972 does not provide a specific power for me to direct the Aboriginal
Cultural Material Committee on such matters. I have to be honest: if I did so,
I know who would be the very first person to criticise me.
(2) No. The Aboriginal Cultural Material
Committee is funded through the Department of Aboriginal Affairs to meet 11
times a year to assess whether an Aboriginal heritage place meets the
requirements of section 5 of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972. The Department
of Aboriginal Affairs also provides executive and administrative support to the
Aboriginal Cultural Material Committee to perform its function. We have
proposed amendments, as the honourable member would know, in the Aboriginal Heritage
Amendment Bill 2014 to streamline the decision-making processes. While
administrative processes will be streamlined by the amendments, protection of
Aboriginal heritage will not be compromised. The Aboriginal Cultural Material
Committee will retain its current role of assessing proposals when significant
damage to a site may or will result and will be making recommendations to me.
The amendments will allow the Department of Aboriginal Affairs to process the
backlog of Aboriginal heritage places in a far more efficient manner.
(1) Section 10 of the Aboriginal Heritage
Act 1972 does not provide a specific power for me to direct the Aboriginal
Cultural Material Committee on such matters. I have to be honest: if I did so,
I know who would be the very first person to criticise me.
(2) No. The Aboriginal Cultural Material
Committee is funded through the Department of Aboriginal Affairs to meet 11
times a year to assess whether an Aboriginal heritage place meets the
requirements of section 5 of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972. The Department
of Aboriginal Affairs also provides executive and administrative support to the
Aboriginal Cultural Material Committee to perform its function. We have
proposed amendments, as the honourable member would know, in the Aboriginal Heritage
Amendment Bill 2014 to streamline the decision-making processes. While
administrative processes will be streamlined by the amendments, protection of
Aboriginal heritage will not be compromised. The Aboriginal Cultural Material
Committee will retain its current role of assessing proposals when significant
damage to a site may or will result and will be making recommendations to me.
The amendments will allow the Department of Aboriginal Affairs to process the
backlog of Aboriginal heritage places in a far more efficient manner.
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