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Sacred Sites Bill: NT Government ignored Traditional Owners
Northern Land Council Chair Matthew Ryan has denounced the NT Government’s proposed amendments to the Northern Territory Sacred Sites Act 1989, saying the changes prioritise development over the protection of the Territory’s most important cultural heritage assets.
The NT Government has progressed this Bill without any consultation at all, proving it has no respect for our Traditional Owners and no understanding of the centrality of sacred sites to Aboriginal culture and lore.
The Act does need to be updated, and that’s why the NLC and other stakeholders last year contributed to a proposal that would have genuinely strengthened it for the benefit of all Territorians. However, these suggested amendments were largely ignored.
While the Bill has been referred to the Legislative Scrutiny Committee, in yet another show of brazen disregard for Territory transparency, submissions have to be in by next Friday.
Quotes attributable to Northern Land Council Chair Matthew Ryan:
“It is very clear this Bill is a rush job that undermines the integrity of the Sacred Sites Act in favour of proponents.
“The Sacred Sites Act isn’t about putting profits before our people; it is to protect our cultural heritage as we are obliged to do as custodians.
“Traditional Owners deserve the courtesy of being consulted about matters of critical importance and they are angry about being ignored.
“Securing rights to land and protecting sacred sites and cultural heritage have been hard-won rights and this dismissive behaviour from the NT Government is nothing short of an attack on our people.”