Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I am sorry to disappoint you but no, it does not. There was specific reference to a review of the act in the budget papers, and Senator Abetz made specific reference to it. You could be mistaken, and maybe I am mistaken, in reading this particular budget document to imply that in fact there were specific plans to have a specific review of the act. I quote:

The Australian Government will engage in further consultation with Indigenous groups on reforming this legislation to provide a new national scheme that will ensure protection of Indigenous areas and objects to the best contemporary standards.

It goes on to state:

The primary role of state and territory laws and the views of Indigenous people and other stakeholders will be central to this reform.

Maybe I am mistaken but I think anybody interested in heritage and heritage protection would read that to mean that the government had specific plans to review this act—a review that is desperately needed. So I ask again: what process has the government put in place to carry out this review, since it does appear that there have been resources allocated for such a review?