ABORIGINAL HERITAGE —
SECTION 18 APPLICATIONS
1093. Hon ROBIN CHAPPLE to the minister representing the
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs:
I refer to two letters of reference—69-03609
dated 30 November 2017 and 69-14787 dated 15 August 2019—to Fortescue
Metals Group Ltd and Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd respectively, and signed by the
minister.
(1) With
reference to letter 69-03609, is it correct that the minister, in granting the
section 18 application, gave permission to destroy eight rock shelters, one
artefact site and three walled storage sites?
(2) Did the
minister grant consent to destroy these sites without any information other
than dimensions and the presence or absence of surface artefacts?
(3) With reference to letter 69-14787, is it correct
that the minister, in granting the section 18 application, gave permission to Rio Tinto to destroy two rock
shelters for the expansion of Rio's Silvergrass mining operations?
(4) With
reference to letter 69-14787, is it correct that the two rock shelters,
SG-07-22 and SG-07-02, had occupation dates of 43 000 years and 5 300 years—no
basal dates at the time—respectively?
Hon
STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank Hon Robin Chapple for some
notice of the question. The following answer has been provided to me by the
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.
More detailed information will be
needed from the department to ensure a complete response is provided for the
honourable member; therefore, I request that the honourable member put this
question on notice.