❓ A parliamentary question regarding the Minister's decision to recognise Ada and Ernest Drage as primary finders of the Zuytdorp shipwreck, despite a previous Select Committee report. The Minister defends the decision based on new evidence and acknowledges the Drages' Aboriginal heritage.
AnsweredQoN 2779Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
(a) on what grounds has the Minister made such a variation, given that her action is now in conflict with the all-party Select Committee on Ancient Shipwrecks which reported to this House on 17 August 1994;
(b) is the Minister aware that the Select Committee, after hearing public evidence over a period of months, drew a distinction between Ada Drage's role as ‘an important secondary discoverer of the
Zuytdorp
relics but not the wreck itself’;
(c) on what grounds does the Minister now vary this finding;
(d) on what grounds does the Minister also vary the Select Committee findings that Ernest Drage was neither a primary nor secondary discoverer;
(e) if the Minister is convinced that the Drages are now to be regarded as ‘additional primary finders’ of the wreck itself, does she intend to introduce amendments to the
Maritime Archaeology Act 1973
to incorporate the Drage names along with those primary discoverers identified by the Select Committee; and
(f) if not, can the Minister’s actions be seen as a bid to merely placate the claims of some people who were not named as primary finders in the original all-party Select Committee report?
(b) is the Minister aware that the Select Committee, after hearing public evidence over a period of months, drew a distinction between Ada Drage's role as ‘an important secondary discoverer of the
Zuytdorp
relics but not the wreck itself’;
(c) on what grounds does the Minister now vary this finding;
(d) on what grounds does the Minister also vary the Select Committee findings that Ernest Drage was neither a primary nor secondary discoverer;
(e) if the Minister is convinced that the Drages are now to be regarded as ‘additional primary finders’ of the wreck itself, does she intend to introduce amendments to the
Maritime Archaeology Act 1973
to incorporate the Drage names along with those primary discoverers identified by the Select Committee; and
(f) if not, can the Minister’s actions be seen as a bid to merely placate the claims of some people who were not named as primary finders in the original all-party Select Committee report?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
15 November 2007
Responded by
Minister for Culture and the Arts
Response time
30 days
(a) It is not possible for the Minister to vary the findings of the Select Committee. However, based on a submission received by the Drage family in 2006 and advice from the Western Australian Museum Maritime Archaeologists the Minister recognises and acknowledges the important role the Drages played in the finding of the
Zuytdorp
.
It should also be noted that while the Select Committee's report identified primary and secondary finders, the criteria used to determine who was a primary and who was a secondary finder was not made clear. Primary finders were not necessarily the person who first found a site and this led to inconsistencies in the Committee's findings. Hence, in the case of the Drage family's recent submission, both Ada and Ernest were in the area and knew of the site at about the time Tom Pepper reported the site, and have made a convincing case for the family to be recognised. It should be remembered these events took place over 80 years ago and it is quite impossible to determine the precise chronology of the discovery.
(b) Yes.
(c) The Minister acknowledges Ada Drage and Ernest Drage's role in the finding of the
Zuytdorp
wreck as primary finders, based on the information provided in the Drage family's submission and a recommendation made by the Maritime Archaeological Advisory Committee. In the submission, the Drage family reported their reluctance, as Aboriginals, to make formal submission to the Committee. Furthermore, as already indicated, primary finders, as determined by the Select Committee, were not simply the first people who found the site and for the historical record, it is clearly recognised that Tom Pepper was the first person to report the site.
(d) If Ada Drage is considered a primary finder, then Ernest would have to be considered too, as they lived and worked together.
(e) The Drage's role as additional primary finders will be acknowledged through adding their names to the Western Australian Museum's exhibitions and displays that mention the discovery of the
Zuytdorp
, including a plaque at the entrance to the Shipwreck's Gallery in Fremantle, which recognises the finders of sites.
(f) No. The Select Committee did not have the benefit of considering the submission made by the Drage family. This recognition also acknowledges that Aboriginal people would have been involved with the loss of the
Zuytdorp
and have known of the site long before Europeans settled in Western Australia. Since most of these people had died out by the 1920s, the Minister supported the recommendation to acknowledge Ada and Ernest Drage, as Aboriginal people who often played an unrecognised and unrecorded role in such historical events.
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Zuytdorp
.
It should also be noted that while the Select Committee's report identified primary and secondary finders, the criteria used to determine who was a primary and who was a secondary finder was not made clear. Primary finders were not necessarily the person who first found a site and this led to inconsistencies in the Committee's findings. Hence, in the case of the Drage family's recent submission, both Ada and Ernest were in the area and knew of the site at about the time Tom Pepper reported the site, and have made a convincing case for the family to be recognised. It should be remembered these events took place over 80 years ago and it is quite impossible to determine the precise chronology of the discovery.
(b) Yes.
(c) The Minister acknowledges Ada Drage and Ernest Drage's role in the finding of the
Zuytdorp
wreck as primary finders, based on the information provided in the Drage family's submission and a recommendation made by the Maritime Archaeological Advisory Committee. In the submission, the Drage family reported their reluctance, as Aboriginals, to make formal submission to the Committee. Furthermore, as already indicated, primary finders, as determined by the Select Committee, were not simply the first people who found the site and for the historical record, it is clearly recognised that Tom Pepper was the first person to report the site.
(d) If Ada Drage is considered a primary finder, then Ernest would have to be considered too, as they lived and worked together.
(e) The Drage's role as additional primary finders will be acknowledged through adding their names to the Western Australian Museum's exhibitions and displays that mention the discovery of the
Zuytdorp
, including a plaque at the entrance to the Shipwreck's Gallery in Fremantle, which recognises the finders of sites.
(f) No. The Select Committee did not have the benefit of considering the submission made by the Drage family. This recognition also acknowledges that Aboriginal people would have been involved with the loss of the
Zuytdorp
and have known of the site long before Europeans settled in Western Australia. Since most of these people had died out by the 1920s, the Minister supported the recommendation to acknowledge Ada and Ernest Drage, as Aboriginal people who often played an unrecognised and unrecorded role in such historical events.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
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