ABORIGINAL CULTURAL
HERITAGE ACT — OPERATION
611. Hon COLIN de GRUSSA to the minister representing the
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs:
I refer to the Aboriginal Cultural
Heritage Act 2021.
(1) Having regard to the current transition period
during which regulations, statutory guidelines and operational policies
are being developed, on what date will the ACH act come into operation?
(2) To what extent has the government engaged with the
agricultural sector during phases 1 and 2 of the co-design development
process for the ACH act?
Hon
STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question. The following answer has been provided to me by
the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.
(1) The ACH act is on track to come
into operation in July 2023.
(2) The co-design process is open to anyone with an
interest in Aboriginal cultural heritage. The process has been widely promoted
through the WA government website, media statements, advertising and direct invitations
to a variety of stakeholders, including agricultural sector representatives
such as the Pastoralists and Graziers Association and the Western Australian
Farmers Federation. The department advises that individual participants and
farmers have also attended co-design workshops. Through the process, the
government has received a range of submissions from individuals and peak bodies
in the agricultural sector that will feed into the final regulations and
guiding documents for the ACH act. In addition to participation in the
co-design process, the government has separately met with key agricultural
sector representatives regarding the ACH act.