Heritage rorts cost $100m a year
Rorting, overcharging, duplication and delays are rife in the Aboriginal heritage approval process that is costing an estimated $100 million a year.
An "industry" of predominantly white consultants has been charging exorbitant fees for survey reports that are sometimes simply cut-and-paste duplicates, according to the State Government.
A report last year by analysts Ernst & Young found that bureaucratic flaws and consultants, including archaeologists and anthropologists, caused significant delays to resources projects.
Ernst & Young surveyed some of WA's biggest companies, which "all raised concerns that the process is open to conflicts of interests and abuse of powers".
The report found the average cost of a Section 18 heritage application was about $382,800, with $213,000 going into archaeological reports and $47,800 in ethnographic work. An average of just $42,000 was spent on consultation with Aboriginal elders.
Aboriginal Affairs Department deputy director Aaron Rayner said traditional owners deserved payment to help protect sacred sites but professionals were profiting from an outdated system.
"These service providers have taken advantage of the uncertainty and cumbersomeness and created a market for services that do not often provide value for money, nor significantly enhance heritage protection outcomes," he said.
The report also blamed department mismanagement for waste and delay. It was released ahead of the Aboriginal Heritage Amendment Bill, which will change the approval process.
The Bill has been met with dismay by some Aboriginal elders who agree the legislation needed updating but fear the measures vest too much power in the department and do not give enough safeguards to ensure traditional owners are properly consulted.
In a joint statement, traditional owners from across WA said the reforms put sacred sites at risk.
"The amendments make it easier for mining and development to destroy Aboriginal sites and puts us even further out of the picture," they said.
"Traditional owners must have real say over the protection of their heritage."
Aboriginal Affairs Minister Peter Collier met the group and agreed to review whether there should be an appeal mechanism included in the legislation.
Shadow Aboriginal affairs minister Ben Wyatt said the traditional owners' concerns were valid.
"It's not like the Aboriginal people don't want change but they have been left aghast that the consultations have ended with all references to Aboriginal people taken away," he said.
"The rorting that's caused concern is the industry that's grown around the heritage process, and by and large Aboriginal people want that stopped."
