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

This week's budget saw the government prioritise fossil fuels, property developers and defence over truth and treaty, increasing income support, and frontline family and domestic violence services. This budget was a betrayal of First Nations people, renters, students and disabled people, in the middle of a cost-of-living and climate crisis.

First Nations people are still waiting for standalone cultural heritage legislation, while this government is handing out nearly $50 billion over the next 10 years to the fossil fuel industry to fast-track the destruction of country and our climate. Every day that we wait for this legislation, our sacred sites are under threat. Songlines, scar trees, sacred waterholes, rock art and ceremonial grounds are all under threat because of this Labor government.

This budget lumps in funding for progressing these laws with reducing the backlog of complex cultural heritage claims under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act, a flawed act that has on many occasions failed to provide essential protections to sacred and significant sites. A prime example of this is the recent destruction of Lee Point,on Larrakia land, by Defence Housing Australia. Minster Plibersek denied protection under this act, giving the green light for bulldozers to destroy sacred land, trees and an extremely important corridor for many birds in that area. I was lucky enough to see this beautiful area before it was shamefully destroyed. I want to commend the members of the community who fought so hard to protect Lee Point.

Another betrayal is the stark absence of anything for truth and treaty in this budget, showing that this government has completely abandoned the Uluru Statement post referendum, once again leaving First Nations people with an empty, broken promise of progress for our people. Time and time again, First Nations people have had progress dangled in front of us, only for it to be discarded when it's no longer politically popular. Hawke did this with treaty, and this government has done it with the Uluru Statement and cultural heritage protections. This budget shows that this government has abandoned First Nations people.