News

Article by Josh Zimmerman courtesy of the West Australian.

Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt has become the latest Albanese Government Cabinet Minister to distance himself from WA’s contentious Aboriginal heritage laws.

In Perth for a meeting of State and Territory agriculture ministers, Mr Watt called time on his press conference on Wednesday amid a flurry of questions about the refreshed Act.

The new regime has caused particular angst and confusion among growers and primary producers who in some cases are now required to consult more closely with local knowledge holders prior to making major changes to or additions to their properties.

Mr Watt said he had “followed this debate to a degree” but that it was a State Government issue and he did not “want to pretend that I’m an expert on it”.

“But I spoke about it with (WA Agriculture Minister) Jackie Jarvis again yesterday, just to get her perspective on it,” Mr Watt said.

“I think what we do need to remember is that these laws are designed to avoid a repeat of the Juukan Gorge incident, which I think was an international embarrassment for Australia.”

With support for the Voice referendum slipping in WA, Mr Watt was asked whether he feared the chaotic implementation of the Aboriginal heritage laws was contributing to the decline.

He said the two issues were “entirely separate” before mounting a somewhat bizarre argument for the Voice being about “listening” that referenced his own ongoing refusal to change plans to kill off WA’s live sheep export industry.

“We need to remember that what the Voice is about is two simple things,” he said.

“It’s about recognising Australia’s First Peoples in our nation’s constitution. And it’s about listening to them.

“I’ve just spent the morning listening to farmers, to processors, to animal welfare groups about… what they want to see for the future of (the live export) industry.

“And those discussions, I think, will help me get to a better outcome. That’s what the Voice is about.

“It’s about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people having an official channel to provide their views on the things that matter to them.”

Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney – currently on a tour of WA in support of the Voice – also ducked questions on the impact of heritage laws on the Voice referendum during an appearance at the National Press Club in Canberra last week.

Mr Watt said there were “a lot of red herrings” – or distractions – being presented “by a lot of people who are opposed to the Voice, including some very senior Western Australian Liberal politicians”.

“But when you boil it down, it’s a very simple proposition: recognition and listening to people. And that’s what we should do.”

Pressed on whether it was fair to expect farmers to fork out potentially tens of thousands of dollars to survey some or all of land to clear it of Aboriginal heritage, Mr Watt said he was “not going to comment on the specifics of that legislation”.

Further quizzed on why he was unwilling to comment on an issue that directly affected his portfolio, Mr Watt said he had “every confidence that the WA Government and Minister Jarvis will manage it going forward” before moving to wrap up the press conference.

In June, Resources Minister Madeleine King – the only Federal Cabinet Minister from WA – backed the new Act, saying stakeholders were “entitled to have their concern” but needed to work with the State Government.