What has Aboriginal culture got to do with building railway lines?
Why does the government have to waste taxpayer money on appeasing activists every time they do something.
It’s out of control.
Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee
29/05/2024
Estimates
INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS PORTFOLIO
High Speed Rail Authority
Senator RENNICK: Let’s look at some of these other packages—firstly, First Nations people cultural and heritage advisory services. Yet again, what does the culture of First Nations people have to do with building a high-speed railway line?
Mr Parker: We don’t know at the moment, because we haven’t done the work, where our line is going to go. We have a good idea based on the 2013, but we’ve then got to go and explore. When we come to working our way through where the alignment is, one of the key considerations from an environmental point of view is: is there an Aboriginal issue with this? Yes or no. If there is, can we deal with it or not? That’s the sort of advice—
Senator RENNICK: But won’t most of this land involve freehold anyway?
Mr Parker: We don’t know yet. That’s the purpose.
Senator RENNICK: I suspect most of it will, and I suspect you’d use a lot of it on existing rail corridors.
Mr Parker: I actually don’t think it will be.
Member of the committee interjecting—
Senator RENNICK: Sorry, Chair, point of order: could we please stop the interjections? Could you ask that the interjections stop, please? It’s very rude. I still don’t understand. How much are you budgeting for that? We’ve got eight packages, and two of them, 25 per cent of them—
Mr Parker: The budget for the First Nations participant engagement and advisory service is around $700,000.
Senator RENNICK: What about engagement services?
Mr Parker: That’s the total for both of them. I can give you the exact figures. The First Nations engagement is around $230,000. The heritage advice—it’s cultural and heritage, so it’s not just First Nations—is around $500,000.
