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Labor accused of dragging its feet on heritage protection

ABC November 1, 2009, 12:15 pm
Hobart s historic Salamanca Place is popular for its cafes, craft shops and Saturday market.

ABC News © Enlarge photo

Tasmania's Opposition has accused the State Government of dragging its feet on much-needed heritage reforms.

The Liberals say the Government has only just started drafting an Aboriginal Heritage Bill, despite saying 11 years ago that an urgent review was needed.

The Opposition's Heritage Spokeswoman, Sue Napier, says it has also taken six years to start drafting a new bill for built heritage.

"There's still not a piece of legislation to be seen and we've only got a couple of days of parliament left," Ms Napier said.

The Heritage Minister, Michelle O'Byrne, says both pieces of legislation are complex.

"We have to ensure that there is a really good level of consultation with the community," she said.

The Liberals have also complained about how long it' ha taken to implement sentencing reforms first raised by the Law Reform Institute seven years ago.

The Government says the institute's final recommendations were only made last year.

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