Flinders Ranges Sacred Sites

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen) (14:39): My question is to the Deputy Premier in her capacity as Minister for Climate, Environment and Water. Has the minister spoken with Beverly Patterson? With your leave, sir, and that of the house I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr TEAGUE: In relation to recent reports about cultural genocide in the Flinders Ranges, the minister said today, and I quote:

We still don't at this stage have clarity from the traditional owners about exactly what harm has been done and what else around there needs to be protected.

She also said:

Whether there's been a significant amount of destruction or whether it is a relatively small area, I don't know.

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Minister for Defence and Space Industries, Minister for Climate, Environment and Water) (14:39): What I was concerned to do in answering questions both yesterday and on the radio this morning was not get in the way of the due process that was initiated at the end of August, I believe, by the department in asking the traditional owners about a cultural survey for that area.

So, while there has been significant commentary made and I accept all the commentary that has been made, there is nonetheless a process that is being undertaken at present that it needs to have time to be able to work its way through for an appropriate cultural assessment to be made.

Given that there has been some activity that has occurred with the contractor going into an area that had not been approved by the traditional owners—not at that point been surveyed by the traditional owners—I am uncertain, because we do not have advice from the traditional owners of the extent to which that has caused harm. We will find out. It is undoubted that it has caused harm because we have heard that feedback, but what I did not want to do on the radio was in some way get ahead of the process that is being undertaken by the traditional owners.