Temporary Win For West Australian Farmers As Red Tape Assault Pushed Back

“The announcement today from the Western Australian Government that it will push back the implementation of sections of its new Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act is an admission of the substantial impact it will have on local communities,” said Daniel Wild, Deputy Executive Director of the Institute of Public Affairs.

The IPA, which is continuing its research tour throughout the Great Southern and South West regions of Western Australia, welcomes this temporary reprieve, noting that the laws as they stand will, at a minimum, need substantial revision or scrapping.

“The anger in local communities we have visited is white hot. Those we have spoken to in Katanning, Augusta, Kudardup and Busselton have been united in their feedback that they simply were ignored by leaders in Perth, who foisted these regulations upon their livelihoods without warning,” Mr Wild said.

“Our political leaders all too readily forget that policies set in the high-rise buildings of Perth and Canberra have real-world consequences for the communities like those in regional Western Australia.”

“Australia relies on our regions to put food on our tables and generate our nation’s wealth, which pays for government services like health, education and transport. Holding back our farmers not only hurts them, it hurts all of us.”

A petition by the Pastoralists and Graziers Association of Western Australia garnered 30,000 signatures, which underscored the widespread concern of West Australians from the further encroachment of red tape into their lives and livelihoods.

“Western Australia is a go ahead to get ahead state but is being held back by burdensome red tape on its nation leading agricultural sector. Politicians need to stop playing costly games with the livelihoods of their constituents,” Mr Wild said.