Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972

Aboriginal Heritage Amendment Regulations 2026

 

 

Aboriginal Heritage Amendment Regulations 2026

Contents

1.Citation1

2.Commencement1

3.Regulations amended1

4.Part 5 inserted1

Part 5 — Darrajayin protected area (s. 26)

44.Terms used1

45.General prohibition of activities in Darrajayin protected area2

46.Exception to prohibition for registered native title body corporate and common law holders of native title3

47.Exception to prohibition for pastoral lessee4

 

Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972

Aboriginal Heritage Amendment Regulations 2026

Made by the Governor in Executive Council.

1.Citation

These regulations are the Aboriginal Heritage Amendment Regulations 2026.

2.Commencement

These regulations come into operation as follows —

(a)regulations 1 and 2 — on the day on which these regulations are published on the WA legislation website;

(b)the rest of the regulations — on 23 February 2026.

3.Regulations amended

These regulations amend the Aboriginal Heritage Regulations 1974.

4.Part 5 inserted

After regulation 43 insert:

 

Part 5 — Darrajayin protected area (s. 26)

44.Terms used

In this Part —

common law holder has the meaning given in the Native Title Act 1993 (Commonwealth) section 56;

Darrajayin protected area means the area declared to be a protected area by the Aboriginal Heritage (Darrajayin Protected Area) Order 2026;

native title has the meaning given in the Native Title Act 1993 (Commonwealth) section 223;

native title rights and interests has the meaning given in the Native Title Act 1993 (Commonwealth) section 223;

pastoral lease has the meaning given in the Native Title Act 1993 (Commonwealth) section 248;

pastoral lessee means a lessee, or any sublessee of a lessee, under a pastoral lease;

pastoral purposes has the meaning given in the Land Administration Act 1997 section 93;

registered native title body corporate has the meaning given in the Native Title Act 1993 (Commonwealth) section 253;

Table 1 area means a part of the Darrajayin protected area referred to in the Aboriginal Heritage (Darrajayin Protected Area) Order 2026 clause 3 Table 1;

Table 2 area means a part of the Darrajayin protected area referred to in the Aboriginal Heritage (Darrajayin Protected Area) Order 2026 clause 3 Table 2;

Table 3 area means a part of the Darrajayin protected area referred to in the Aboriginal Heritage (Darrajayin Protected Area) Order 2026 clause 3 Table 3.

45.General prohibition of activities in Darrajayin protected area

Subject to section 7(1)(a) of the Act, the following are prohibited in the Darrajayin protected area —

(a)persons entering or remaining within the area;

(b)the use of vehicles, explosives, instruments, tools, and equipment of any kind;

(c)damage or destruction to vegetation, the working of the land, or the disturbance of the surface or the subsoil within the area.

46.Exception to prohibition for registered native title body corporate and common law holders of native title

(1)In this regulation —

authorised act means the following —

(a)the exercise of native title rights and interests;

(b)the erection or maintenance of educational signage;

(c)the erection or maintenance of fencing in or around a Table 1 area;

(d)the erection or maintenance of fencing in or around a Table 2 area or a Table 3 area with the written consent of a pastoral lessee under a pastoral lease over the area;

authorised person, in relation to an area, means the following —

(a)a registered native title body corporate holding native title in respect of the area;

(b)an officer, director, employee, contractor, invitee or agent of the registered native title body corporate;

(c)a common law holder for whom the registered native title body corporate holds the native title in trust;

(d)an invitee of a common law holder referred to in paragraph (c).

(2)Regulation 45 does not prohibit an authorised person from doing —

(a)an authorised act; or

(b)anything reasonably necessary to do an authorised act.

47.Exception to prohibition for pastoral lessee

(1)In this regulation —

authorised act means the following —

(a)the retrieval of livestock from a Table 1 area;

(b)responding to an imminent threat to property or the environment that, or the health, safety or welfare of a person who, is in or near a Table 1 area;

(c)the use of a Table 2 area or a Table 3 area for pastoral purposes permitted by a pastoral lease over the area;

(d)the installation of infrastructure in, or the relocation of infrastructure in or to, a Table 2 area with the written consent of a registered native title body corporate holding native title in respect of the area;

authorised person, in relation to an area, means the following —

(a)a pastoral lessee under a pastoral lease over the area;

(b)an employee, contractor, invitee or agent of the pastoral lessee;

(c)if the pastoral lessee is a body corporate — an officer or director of the pastoral lessee.

(2)Regulation 45 does not prohibit an authorised person from doing —

(a)an authorised act; or

(b)anything reasonably necessary to do an authorised act.

(3)Subregulation (2) disapplies the prohibition in regulation 45(2)(c) of the disturbance of the surface or the subsoil within an area only to the extent that the disturbance is reasonably necessary to comply with the Land Administration Act 1997 section 107.

 

K. COLLERAN, Clerk of the Executive Council

© State of Western Australia 2026.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY 4.0). To view relevant information and for a link to a copy of the licence, visit www.legislation.wa.gov.au.

Attribute work as: © State of Western Australia 2026.

By Authority: ROGER JACOBS, Acting Government Printer