Petroleum Bill

Extract from Hansard

Legislative Council
26 September 2001

Sandra Kanck
Deputy Leader Australian Democrats
Member of the Legislative Council

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The Hon. SANDRA KANCK: I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the minister representing the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs a question about the destruction of an Aboriginal heritage site near the Port Augusta Airport.

The Hon. SANDRA KANCK: The August edition of the Journal of Australian Archaeology carries a report by Dr Keryn Walshe, an archaeologist from the Flinders University Department of Archaeology. In that report, Dr Walshe states that, as a consequence of the planned expansion of the Port Augusta Airport, a quartenary sand dune in the path of the runway extension was examined by herself and the Port Augusta Working Group, which is comprised of representatives of the Nukunu, Banggarla, Kuyani and Kokatha peoples. The working group gave permission for the destruction of the surveyed area. It also identified an adjoining site as being potentially of great importance and recommended its preservation and investigation.

Some of the artefacts found on the adjoining dune were salvaged and samples of sand were taken from the top and bottom of the dune. Sand taken from the top of the dune was dated at 35 000 to 45 000 years old. Sand from the bottom of the dune was dated at between 100 000 and 150 000 years old. Dr Walshe estimates that the artefacts could be up to 35 000 years old. Previously, no open sites discovered in South Australia have been more than 3 000 to 4 000 years old. During the extension of the airstrip the adjoining site was bulldozed and, as a consequence, an Aboriginal heritage site of potentially enormous significance has been destroyed. My questions are:

1. Did the minister authorise the destruction of the non-surveyed adjoining site under section 23 of the Aboriginal Heritage Act? If so, did the minister (as required under section 12 of the act) check whether the site had been entered on the Register of Aboriginals Sites and Objects?

2. Did the minister determine whether the site should be added to the Register of Aboriginal Sites and Objects as required under section 12? If so, what reasons did the minister have for not including the non-surveyed adjoining site on the Register of Aboriginal Sites and Objects?

3. If the minister did not approve the site destruction, has the minister initiated an investigation of who was responsible for the site destruction as required under section 12; and, if not, why not?

The Hon. DIANA LAIDLAW (Minister for Transport and Urban Planning): I will refer the honourable member's questions to the minister and bring back a reply.