LOWER house leader David Templeman has said the debate on the revised Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act will take place between September 19 to 21.

The Opposition is calling for the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Legislation Amendment and Repeal Bill 2023 to be split in order to allow the immediate repeal of the 2021 Act.

Opposition Aboriginal Affairs spokeswoman Mia Davies asked for the Bill to split in question time to allow for immediate repealing of the 2021 Act, which would then give government more time to debate another bill with amendments later in the year.

Opposition leader Shane Love MLA said the state government had an important lesson to learn from the botching of the 2021 Act and needs to move quickly to address community concerns.

“WA Labor has to show they have learned their lesson after the debacle of the 2021 legislation and need to heed the premier’s instruction to be a humble government,” he said.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Tony Buti said the draft regulations included timeframes which would give certainty to traditional owners and proponents about the section 18 application process.

“Our aim is to implement the new system as soon as practically possible once the Bill is considered and passed by the house,” Dr Buti said.