SA government gives uranium company power over Aboriginal sites

Issue 

SA government gives uranium company power over Aboriginal sites

By Susan Laszlo

The South Australian government is trying to push through a bill which would give the biggest uranium producer in the state, Western Mining Corporation, control over Aboriginal heritage sites within the Olympic Dam and Stuart Shelf areas.

Cabinet has approved the Roxby Downs (Indenture Ratification) (Aboriginal Heritage) Amendment Bill 1997 and environmentalists are worried that it may become law within two weeks. The bill would enable WMC to be covered by an act of parliament that has never been proclaimed — the 1979 Aboriginal Heritage Act — rather than the existing 1988 Aboriginal Heritage Act.

The Australian Conservation Foundation has received legal advice confirming that WMC and its Olympic Dame mine operations are covered by the 1988 act. With its new bill, the government intends to abdicate responsibility for Aboriginal heritage issues under the 1988 act: the minister is presently required to consult with Aborigines with regard to sites.

If the bill is passed, WMC would be able to ignore the provisions of the 1988 act, designed to protect Aboriginal heritage; decide whether and which Aboriginal groups to consult with; and decide on which Aboriginal heritage sites should be recognised and the level of protection these will receive.

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