Law reform and YMAC advocacy updates

Law Reform and YMAC Advocacy Update

Since January 2020 YMAC has prepared two submissions: To the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) on the proposed Voice Co-design Process, and to the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation in response to their National Indigenous Land and Sea Strategy discussion paper.

YMAC is committed to applying its knowledge and experience to support Indigenous Australians throughout the process of Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 (and other legislative) reform.

We are also following several government reviews of laws affecting Traditional Owners in recent years, which have continued to reach milestones since our last issue. In December 2020, the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia released “Never Again”, its interim report for its Inquiry into the destruction of 46,000 year old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The Inquiry continues into 2021, with the Joint Committee holding public hearings with stakeholders beyond Western Australia.

YMAC Deputy Co-Chairperson, Mrs Doris Eaton, on the steps of Parliament in 2014 with then Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Ben Wyatt MLA, and Hon Brendon Grylls MLA.

In February 2021, the Australian Government passed the Native Title Legislation Amendment Act 2021. This Amendment Act makes changes to the Native Title Act 1993 and the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006. Read more about it in the following pages.

The NIAA has also released the CATSI Act Review Final Report. It includes 72 recommendations on improvements to the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 to the Australian Government. For a copy of the report, visit www.niaa.gov.au/resource-centre/indigenous-affairs/ catsi-act-review-final-report

Further changes needed to the draft Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Bill 2020

We believe it is vital to legislate a clear, regulatory framework surrounding agreement-making, heritage decisions and project approvals.

The draft Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Bill introduced by the McGowan Government in late 2020 requires further work and further consultation with Traditional Owners. We will continue to advocate this position to the Hon Stephen Dawson MLC, the new Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Member for Mining and Pastoral Region in coming months.

YMAC encourages all Traditional Owners to contact their state representative about concerns with the draft Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Bill, and to attend regional events such as Yamatji On Country and Yule River, so we can continue working together to tackle this and other significant issues for our communities.