The controversial overhaul of WA’s Aboriginal heritage laws will be scrapped completely in a stunning development just one month after the changes came into effect. Facing a wave of anger and anxiety — particularly among the State’s farming community — Premier Roger Cook and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Tony Buti are poised to make the announcement within days.
McKeown, 22, won the women’s 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke at the recent World Championships in Japan – and acknowledged that without funding from Rinehart, her glittering career in the pool would never have happened. ‘She [Rinehart] is my life support, without her funding many of us wouldn’t be in the sport,’ McKeown told 2GB radio’s Ben Fordham on Friday’Swimmers need sponsorship, and Ms Rinehart has supported me since I was 16. Fordham also revealed Rinehart personally funds 75 swimmers and 50 rowers – and over the past decade has provided $60million for Aussie Olympic athletes.
“A huge and warm congratulations to all our Aussie swimmers for their fantastic efforts in Fukuoka, representing Australia proudly and shining on the world stage,” she said after the event, where the Aussies won more gold medals than any other country. “I’m told this is Australia’s best ever international swimming performance. It’s very exciting to be here with these young role models and patriotic ambassadors.” Australian swimmer Shayna Jack called Rinehart a “generous and supportive person” and thanked her for her support. “More athletes would retire well and truly before their 30’s if it wasn’t for Ms Rinehart’s generosity. Not only does she support us financially but she shows up,” Jack said.
Mining magnate Gina Rinehart’s jaw-dropping level of support for Australian Olympic sports can finally be revealed as the Dolphins swim team revels in their new status as world No.1. While Olympic sports recently lobbied the federal government for a fresh injection of funding to prepare athletes for the Paris Olympics – receiving an extra $20m commitment – what has never been known until now is exactly how much Ms Rinehart is propping up the Australian team and several key sports such as swimming, rowing, artistic swimming and volleyballShe flew to Japan to see Australia’s historic swimming performance at the world titles in Fukuoka last month, thrilled her investment in this golden generation of athletes was proving successful.
“A huge and warm congratulations to all our Aussie swimmers for their fantastic efforts in Fukuoka,” Ms Rinehart said. “I’m told this is Australia’s best ever international swimming performance. It’s very exciting to be here with these young role models and patriotic ambassadors.”
An advertisement for a heritage principal at Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting says the position is needed to “ensure compliance with the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2021”. It says the successful applicant will “provide project specific and general advice to business regarding new ACHA 2021 requirements and guidelines including drafting reports, memos, and internal business advice related to heritage.” Implementing the new Act has led to widespread criticism by farmers and businesses, with complaints centred on high compliance cost burdens for landholders and the potential deterrent to investment and jobs. Shadow lands minister Neil Thomson questioned why the additional departmental positions hadn’t been established when the Act came into force on July 1.
While stressing he was “100 per cent supportive of the notion of protecting and preserving Aboriginal culture” , Mr van Kann said he felt the regime enacted by the Cook Government was “completely back to front” . “Surely we can protect heritage by the Government researching and publishing any area that is affected rather than saying all areas are until you prove that they are not,” he said.
“We need to make sure Western Australians know that we can educate East Coast politicians, and we can block this in the Senate, (because) it will require legislation under the Act. “That’s why it’s important that we don’t give up, that we don’t just think ‘this is over’.
Our partner and one of the most patriotic Australians in history, Mrs Gina Rinehart AO, was able to join the Australian Dolphins in Japan this week as they raced against the world so well. Mrs Rinehart is the Major sponsor of the Australian Dolphins and this way enables them to be able to afford the long training programs that each athlete commits to, making it almost impossible to also engage in paid employment with the limited hours left each week and all of the disruption with training away and competing.
The celebrations never last long in swimming. Given a night off to party hard in Japan after dominating the world championships, Australia’s swimmers were also given a reminder that the hard work will start all over again once they get home. After finishing the championships as the number one team in the world – winning 13 gold medals and a record 25 in total – the Dolphins deserved their chance to let their hair down. And they sure did that, spotted kicking up their heels at some of the hottest night clubs in Fukuoka on Sunday. They had every reason to kick up their heels after eight days of intense competition because their performances – which included five world records – were exceptional.
Australia’s most successful swim team has closed out the world championships in Fukuoka, Japan, in style to finish top of the medals table with a record haul that may never be beaten. After eight days of intense competition, the Dolphins proved themselves to be the best swim team on the planet – collecting 13 gold, seven silver and five bronze medals for a staggering total of 25As far as Australia’s head coach Rohan Taylor was concerned, the Aussies were the best.
“We (Australia) have always looked at, and I was brought up by the Don Talbot era, that gold medals were the most important. So from our perspective , we were the best performed team on the gold medal count. “And when you look at the website and you look at the medal tally, we sit on top of that. That is how I feel. But I’m not taking anything away from the US and they won the award based on the criteria that was there.”
Farmers are worried they could go bankrupt or be sent to jail for falling foul of contentious new Aboriginal cultural heritage laws, a fiery South West community forum has heard. Another issue that emerged as a flashpoint for Waroona landholders at the packed-out Monday town hall meeting is the high cost of commissioning surveys and a 20-fold increase in the maximum penalty for breaking the rules — as well as the additional prospect of jail.
“What I would like to know is why our property rights are being eroded? And I would like to know why, if this is so important to the country or the State, the State Government is not paying?”
