Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

Well, of course, it is the case that Minister Ley was required to make a decision under the very same act that Minister Plibersek was required to deal with in the case of the McPhillamys mine that has been the subject of so much discussion in this chamber. There are, in fact, a very great number of similarities between the two decisions. Minister Plibersek made her decision based on the advice of the same traditional owner group as the Deputy Leader of the Opposition consulted with, the Wiradyuri Traditional Owners Central West Aboriginal Corporation. She made the same type of decision, a section 10 decision under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act, and I would observe that that act has been in place since the 1980s and operative under a range of governments of different flavours.

Minister Plibersek makes the point that she made her decision, essentially, based on the same reasons as the Deputy Leader of the Opposition when she made her decision, and at that time she spoke about—and I speak now of Ms Ley—the cultural significance for the Wiradjuri people 'in contributing to local Aboriginal narratives, songlines, ceremonies and cultural heritage'. She made the decision to protect the site—