David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the Environment and Water. Will the minister rule out federal cultural heritage reforms that require individual farming businesses to undertake mandatory cultural surveys to conduct agricultural practices on their private property?

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) | Link to this | Hansard source

I am delighted to receive this question from the Leader of the National Party and to say what a great thing it has been—I don't often say this about the former minister for the environment—to inherit these cultural heritage reforms at the very advanced stage that we've inherited them. What we're aiming to do as a government is make sure that we have better protection for First Nations heritage and more certainty for business, farmers and other land users. These twin objectives came out of some very substantial work done after the destruction of Juukan Gorge in two inquiries led by the member for Leichhardt. I thank him and the committee for the excellent work that they did coming out of Juukan Gorge.

If I could just take the parliament back for a moment to remind people of what happened there: a 46,000-year-old sacred site was destroyed by a mining company. The tragedy was that irreplaceable heritage was lost legally. It was done legally. What this parliament realised was that our laws were not fit for purpose. If 46,000-year-old sacred sites can be destroyed legally, those laws are not fit for purpose. So the previous government, coming out of those Juukan Gorge inquiries, which had a number of very substantial recommendations, set up a process with the First Nations Heritage Protection Alliance. The former Minister for the Environment signed a contract with the First Nations Heritage Protection Alliance to come up with an options paper. As I said, the work began under those opposite. We have released the options paper. Options papers are designed to begin conversations, and the former Minister for the Environment said very clearly that starting this national conversation was exactly the right thing to do.

Milton Dick (Speaker) | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Nationals, on a point of order.

David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance: it was very tight about whether the minister will rule out mandatory cultural surveys for agricultural practice. No-one is challenging what happened with the gorge. This is about agricultural practices, and it was very specific. No matter what the former government did, it's about what this government will do. Will they rule it out? There was no decision made.

Milton Dick (Speaker) | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will cease interjecting. The minister is being relevant to the question because she is talking about the heritage reforms. I'm listening to her.

The minister for infrastructure will cease interjecting. I'm just going to listen carefully for the remaining 35 seconds. She is being relevant to the question, so she's relevant to the standing orders.

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Leader of the Nationals for his intervention. Just to reassure him, we're not proposing any takeover of state laws. We're not proposing any duplication of state laws. Heritage protection will predominantly remain a matter for states and territories. What we're seeking to do is update our First Nations cultural heritage protections, as those opposite suggested we should do, as two Juukan Gorge inquiries led by the member for Leichhardt suggested, as the work begun by the former Minister for the Environment— (Time expired)

Milton Dick (Speaker) | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Forrest will cease interjecting so I can hear from the member for Werriwa.