Andrew Bartlett (Queensland, Australian Democrats) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources. I remind the minister that in 2005 a regional agreement was adopted in Far North Queensland between the Wet Tropics Management Authority, the rainforest Aboriginal people from the region and the federal Department of Environment and Water Resources along with various Queensland government agencies. The agreement included a commitment by the government to investigate the case for renomination of the Wet Tropics area onto the World Heritage List for its Aboriginal cultural values. Can the minister outline what progress the federal government has made in meeting this commitment? Will the federal government move to renominate the Wet Tropics area to the World Heritage List in recognition of its highly significant Indigenous cultural values?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Bartlett for his question. Under the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area Regional Agreement, all parties agreed that before considering any renomination of the Wet Tropics to the World Heritage List for its Aboriginal values the Wet Tropics would be nominated to the National Heritage List for its natural and cultural values. This step is necessary because in April 2004 the Commonwealth, states and territories agreed that the Australian government will only draw future nominations and renominations for World Heritage listing from places already on the National Heritage List.

The Wet Tropics was nominated to the National Heritage List for its Indigenous heritage values in 2007, and this nomination is being considered by the Australian Heritage Council. At its meeting in June 2007, the Environment Protection and Heritage Council agreed to pursue a World Heritage tentative list to identify Australian places to be considered for nomination to the World Heritage Committee over the next 10 years. State and territory governments will submit places for the World Heritage tentative list to the Australian government by June 2008.

Andrew Bartlett (Queensland, Australian Democrats) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I thank the minister for the answer. Given that the federal government recognises the highly significant Aboriginal cultural values in the Wet Tropics World Heritage area, as evidenced by the minister’s answer, does the federal government recognise that it has a role in providing resources for the Aboriginal traditional owners of the region to enable them to properly protect and maintain the cultural and environmental values of this incredibly important area? What assistance does the federal government provide to the Indigenous peoples of the area—those who signed up to the regional agreement that he referred to—and is the federal government satisfied with the level of support that the Indigenous people have been given in order to properly manage and assist with the maintenance and protection of those important cultural and environmental values that he has indicated a recognition of?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the one minute I have I will give my best shot to answer all the matters raised by the honourable senator. The Commonwealth has provided $300,000 over two years as seed funding to help the Aboriginal Rainforest Council establish itself. It has also provided $1,034,610 to support Aboriginal traditional owners map their cultural values in the Wet Tropics World Heritage area.

The Australian government provides support for the involvement of Aboriginal traditional owner groups in the management of World Heritage landscapes through several mechanisms. The World Heritage properties managed by the Australian government, including Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and Kakadu National Park, have a very high level of involvement of traditional owner groups through internationally recognised best practice joint management arrangements. The Australian government also provides resources to World Heritage properties to support Indigenous involvement through advisory committees. (Time expired)