A legislative change that will allow a multi-storey hotel to be built over a sacred site on Darwin’s waterfront without triggering a new heritage assessment is “appalling” and an act of “legal vandalism”, critics say.
Amendments to the Northern Territory’s Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act, which Larrakia elders say eroded protections for cultural heritage, passed parliament earlier this year. They allow for additions to be made to an authority certificate – which sets conditions for work on or near sacred sites – after it’s been issued.
