Hundreds of farmers from across southern WA have gathered in the town of Katanning for the largest community meeting to date to discuss WA's new Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act. The event organised by the WA Farmers Federation heard three weeks after the new legislation began many in the industry remain confused about the Act.
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00:00 Hundreds of farmers from around the state under one roof with a lot to discuss.
00:07 At the moment there feels like an absolute avalanche of things coming at us as farmers.
00:12 A key concern now according to the Farmers Federation is the confusion and angst caused by the new Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act.
00:22 We want more clarity on the rules and regulations because everything is so up in the air and nothing has been explained properly to us.
00:30 It is a big concern to all farmers.
00:33 And honestly it's only going to be more questions and worries than some things.
00:37 We have got a little bit more clarity in where things are heading towards but it's looking more like a pay me kind of system.
00:43 The Government insists the laws were carefully drafted with minimal impact on farmers.
00:50 But on the ground the view is very different.
00:53 To many of us it feels like a methodology for extracting money out of us year after year and stopping us from farming on our farms.
00:59 Which is not what the intent of the legislation was meant to be.
01:02 On average the Department of Planning has been getting 25 phone calls and 50 emails each day about the laws from confused landholders.
01:13 The Government is setting a trajectory of taking away people's futures.
01:18 That's not the Australian way and this is a fight that has only just started and will continue and will continue all the way to the halls of Canberra.
01:25 The National is also critical the State Government hasn't done more to stand up to the Albanese Government which is pushing ahead with plans to end live sheep exports.
01:36 We need State Governments to walk hand in hand with no matter the political persuasion of politicians and make the voices heard in Canberra, these Western Australian voices that are scared about their future.
01:47 WA's new Premier Roger Cook has echoed Mark McGowan saying changes to the industry have sufficiently improved animal welfare standards.
01:56 But David Littleproud is frustrated Mr Cook has declined a meeting.
02:01 A spokesperson for the Premier says his position on live sheep exports is clear and has been made clear to the Federal Government repeatedly.
02:11 The Premier dismissing Mr Littleproud's meeting request as nothing more than a political stunt.
02:17 stunt.
02:17 [BLANK_AUDIO]