The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) has welcomed the Australian Heritage Council’s assessment that the West Kimberley region in Western Australia has National Heritage values.
At the same time the ACF has urged the Environment Minister, Tony Burke, to immediately place the region on the National Heritage Listing.
The Minister has extended his decision on the matter to the end of August.
“I am extending the deadline to ensure that land users affected by a change in the proposed heritage boundary will be provided with an opportunity to have a say,” Mr Burke said
“Extending the deadline gives time for key stakeholders, including individual owners and occupiers and Indigenous groups, to have their say.”
Mr Burke has made available the findings of the Australian Heritage Council’s assessment in a move to further inform the public.
The assessment details the Kimberley regions importance in the course of Australia’s natural and cultural history, and its importance as part of Indigenous tradition.
The ACF has voiced concerns over proposed mining and gas processing on the Kimberley coastline, a concern shared by the Australian Marine Conservation Society.
If placed on the National Heritage List, the West Kimberley’s heritage values would gain recognition and protection under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Under this act, “A person cannot take an action that has, will have or is likely to have a significant impact on the National Heritage values of a listed place without the approval of the Australian Government Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.”
National Heritage Listing allows for “any lawful existing use of land and sea” to continue, and will not affect “mining and exploration activities that are currently permitted.”
The West Kimberley region is home to the King Leopold Ranges, the Windjana and Geike gorges, and what is considered to be one of the largest and most intricate ‘rock art’ sequences in the world.
The full assessment can be accessed here: http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/west-kimberley/
