Cook Government launches a taxpayer funded "education campaign" on the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act.

The Context

There are only days to go until the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act comes into play in Western Australia, and noting the disdain by the WA population for the new bill, the Cook governement has come up with a solution. To spend $435,000 of taxpayers' money on an "education campaign". The campaign will cover radio, digital and print media and is designed to articulate the act and how it will affect different industries. It is expected to run until early August.

According to a spokeswoman, the aim of this campaign is to "raise awareness of the campaign, clear up confusion and help combat misinformation."

“These awareness communications complement a range of other things being done, including public meetings and further education initiatives, to assist stakeholders and land users in understanding the new legislation and how it will impact them.”

“It is important that land users understand whether they have any obligations under the new Act and those who do know what they need to do.”

AGform Response

This campaign would have been much more beneficial when we began raising concerns and asking for clarification months ago, not a couple of days out from implementation.

I also question whether any new information that addresses concerns and answers the questions we are asking will be broadcast. Or will they simply stick to the lines they have already produced that have done little to help?

Peter Cook is not listening to the people of WA. The ministers are not listening to us. Why do we have these people in power when they clearly do not care about what we have to say?