Timeline

1972 Aboriginal Heritage act was first created: Decision-makers on site protection matters were independent from government. They were obliged to consider the perspectives and interests of Aboriginal people. However these slim protections changed in 1980.
1979 Sir Charles Court government overrides advice not to drill at sacred sites at Noonkanbah Station and changes the act: Independent trustees of the WA Museum had recommended no drilling on Noonkanbah Station in Nyikina Country in the Kimberley, but the Liberal government had already decided to test the act on behalf of American oil company AMAX and used police to break the picket lines held by Kimberley people. After that, the Aboriginal Heritage act was watered down, so sites requiring protection had to be rated “significant”. However there was no official definition of this subjective term, and the minister for Aboriginal Affairs became the sole decision-maker for whether a site should be protected.
Image source: AAP Image/Diana Plater
1990 Re-development of Swan Brewery: Labor Aboriginal Affairs Minister Carmen Lawrence approved the re-development of the Swan Brewery, which sits over a sacred Waugal site on Noongar Country
1992 The WA Government legalises the destruction of sacred sites that had already occurred at Marandoo: After CRA destroyed sacred sites for its Marandoo iron ore mine on Eastern Guruma Country in the Pilbara the WA Government passed an infamous amendment to the act to legalise the destruction. This happened when Carmen Lawrence was Premier of Western Australia.
Image source: AAP Image/Richard Wainwright
2006 Labor Minister Sheila McHale, under pressure from lobbyists, approved construction of FMG’s iron ore railway: The Westen Australian government passed amendment to legalise the destruction of sacred sites for CRA’s Marandoo iron ore mine on Eastern Guruma Country in the Pilbara. Labor Minister Sheila McHale, under pressure from lobbyists, approved construction of FMG’s iron ore railway through the section 19 Protected Area at Woodstock-Abydos in the Pilbara, entailing the destruction of highly significant rock art sites on Palyku and Karriyarra Country. BHP and Roy Hill followed with more railway lines here.
Image source: AAP Image/Rio Tinto, Christian Sprogoe
Between 2008 and 2015 Colin Barnett Liberal Government arbitrarily removed sacred sites and archaeological sites across the state from the register of sites: Colin Barnett Liberal Government arbitrarily removed 35 sacred sites and 3,000 archaeological sites across the State from the register of sites. This resulted in Supreme Court action over a sacred site at Port Hedland harbour, forcing a government climb-down.
2013 Destruction of Juukan Gorge approved: Liberal Aboriginal Affairs Minister Peter Collier approved destruction of the Juukan rock shelters on the Country of the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura Peoples when the sites were known to be more than 20,000 years old.
Image source: AAP Image/Supplied by PKKP and PKKP Aboriginal Corporation
2017 Impact on Munday Swamp approved: Labor Aboriginal Affairs minister Ben Wyatt approved impacts to Munday Swamp on Noongar Country, a wetland and sacred site at Perth Airport, against the advice of his heritage committee.
Image source: AAP image/Rebecca Gredley
2020 The destruction of Juukan Gorge: In May 2020, under its legal approval, Rio Tinto placed blasting charges above the Juukan Gorge caves in preparation for mining. Despite appeals by the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura Peoples to the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage, the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs was not informed. Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura Peoples also appealed to the Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley for a stop-work order, but there was no response. Rio Tinto said it was unsafe to remove the charges and the blast went ahead, causing the caves to collapse.