Nationals WA Candidate for Central Wheatbelt Lachlan Hunter has criticised WA Labor for burdening landowners with an unworkable Aboriginal Heritage regime, leaving them in a state of uncertainty and frustration.
Mr Hunter said that despite repealing their disastrous Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act in 2023, Labor has failed to fix the damage, leaving landowners confused and scared.
“After yesterday’s court ruling, it is clear that Labor has left Western Australian landowners in chaos—stripped of certainty and forced to navigate a bureaucratic nightmare just to carry out basic activities on their own land,” he said.
“Now farmers, councils and contractors are forced to jump through hoops just to complete basic work near waterways—dealing with an under-resourced and overwhelmed government department.
Mr Hunter emphasized the need for clarity and practical solutions, rather than endless red tape.
“Landowners deserve certainty so they can go about their daily work without dealing with bureaucratic nonsense.”
He warned that yesterday’s developments have far-reaching consequences, raising serious concerns for landowners across the State.
“Instead of delivering clarity, this decision has only deepened the uncertainty around what landowners can legally do on their own property,” he said.
“The government department overseeing cultural heritage is simply not equipped to handle the flood of inquiries that will follow this ruling.”
Labor has once again failed Western Australians. No clarity. No security. No fairness.
The Nationals WA have pledged to fix the system if elected, restoring certainty, fairness, and common sense for all Western Australians.
