Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Who's taking his questions? It's Senator Watt—I draw the lucky straw today! Right across the country, sacred sites, including on the Tiwi Islands and Murujuga in my home state of Western Australia, are under threat from resources companies. These sites hold knowledge and stories that are tens of thousands of years old. Murujuga holds some of the most ancient rock art in the world, and much of it has been destroyed. The current pipeline of the Barossa project north of the Tiwi Islands will impact sacred burial sites and songlines, and, indeed, the first point of contact for humans on this continent. Minister, my question is: what is your government doing to protect First Nations cultural heritage, instead of trying to justify it for corporate profits, and what are you doing to protect our precious ecosystems and sacred places?