Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Hansard source

It is good to see people from Cape York in the chamber, and they are always welcome. I well remember how the Labor Party's wild rivers legislation would have impeded the future development projects of the people who live in the Cape. Of course, the natural heritage proposal is one that there is little detail on and we do not know whether that will impede upon the future of Indigenous people. Can I also say in relation to the specific motion—and I agree with Senator McLucas that this is not the right way to do it—that my reading of newspapers indicated that Ms Rinehart had quite forcefully said that, if there were any mining in that area, these very valuable and ancient rock paintings would not be in any way impacted upon, and I think it is disingenuous of the Greens to make statements in this chamber suggesting to the contrary.