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The first major test for the Cook Government has not gone well, judging by the level of backlash over the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act from miners, farmers and Indigenous groups. The shambolic rollout was on full display this week, with the Government continuing to tweak the laws right up to the 11th hour amid growing pressure but opposing calls for a delay. Some of that tinkering — particularly the commitment for a “light touch” approach to enforcing the new rules for the next year, an implementation group and an “education first” approach — will allow companies to go about their business without the fear of a fine hanging over their head. The Government also agreed to a one-year reprieve for more rigorous requirements to Indigenous heritage surveys after hastily taking down guidelines following concerns from industry, as revealed by The West Australian. Why all this had to be done the week before the new system was due to be brought in defies logic.

“Canberra Hill is not a wealth creator or nation builder, but a user and waster of taxpayer funds, an inefficient disperser of taxpayers’ funds, and its record shows a place which fails to understand economic realities,” she said. “This lack of economic realities has resulted in policies which restrict our pensioners, students and even veterans from working as much as they may choose, while there is a widespread worker shortage, a worker shortage crisis, affecting many businesses and supplies.” At a time of record revenue, thanks to mining, one would expect government services to be provided abundantly and efficiently. Unfortunately, the opposite is the case. Notwithstanding the money flowing into state government coffers, the standard of the provision of services, which is the key role of state governments, has never been so poor.

Hancock Agriculture chairwoman Gina Rinehart said the summit was an opportunity for governments to better understand those living and working outside our cities. “Eighty-five per cent of Australians live in large urban locations, but we should not forget the engine room of our country, that being outside the cities in mining and agriculture and all of those who work in our bush,” she said. “They in turn make possible jobs for the many businesses the primary industries support; the truckies, the shops, even accountants, legals, tax advisers and many more.”

Australian billionaire businesswoman Gina Rinehart, through Hancock Agriculture, has seized the opportunity presented by the recently signed Australia-UK free trade deal to enter the British beef market. Rinehart introduced her premium beef products, including the renowned wagyu product called 2GR, from Hancock Agriculture and three new high-quality meats from S. Kidman farms. Emphasising the welfare of the animals, the superior quality, and the detailed provenance of the meat, Rinehart showcased her offerings to a diverse audience consisting of distributors, top chefs, butchers, high-end department stores, and Australian diplomats at the prestigious Meat and Wine Co restaurant in Mayfair.

Two events in the past week provide a revealing insight into the Cook Government’s approach to the implementation of updated Aboriginal heritage laws.

Damning new research has revealed WA farmers are the most heavily regulated in the country and the State’s new Aboriginal cultural heritage laws are only expected to ‘make a bad situation worse’. Damning new research has revealed WA farmers are the most heavily regulated in the country and the State’s new Aboriginal cultural heritage laws are only expected to “make a bad situation worse”.

An e-petition calling on the Cook Government to delay the introduction of WA’s Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act has amassed more than 29,000 signatures in a fortnight, smashing the previous WA record. The petition — which was only open to WA residents — was launched on June 6 by Pastoralists and Graziers Association of WA president Tony Seabrook, pictured, and closed on Tuesday. It calls for the Act’s July 1 start date to be pushed back at least six months after backlash from farmers and Native Title groups, and amid concerns the infrastructure required to administer it is not ready. Shadow heritage minister Neil Thomson — who was due to present the document to Parliament on Wednesday — urged the Government to “take note of the massive response”.

June 2023.

The backlash against the state legislation has been led by farmers, miners and property developers, and whipped up by the Liberals and National parties, which both oppose the Voice. Almost 30,000 people have signed a petition urging the Western Australia government to delay the legislation for at least six months. Pastoralists and Graziers’ Association president Tony Seamark, who filed the petition alongside Neil Thomson, the Liberal shadow planning minister, said the legislation has created an “intolerable” situation for landowners.