“We want to ensure that … we will deal with frivolous and vexatious claims in a way where we’re applying penalties for those.”

Shadow Indigenous Australians Minister Jacinta Nampijinpa Price says cultural heritage laws need to be overhauled. Source: AAP / MICK TSIKAS/AAPIMAGE

Senator Price also argued current laws were closing off the natural environment, saying conversations she’d had with rock climbers at Mt Arapiles in northwestern Victoria were “very heartbreaking”.

“I think the Coalition need to go back to the drawing board as they are in a free fall in their current political campaign.”

Greens argue more needs to be done to protect heritage

Part of the Green’s election commitments include a pledge to establish a Land and Sea Country Commissioner within the environment portfolio, and to introduce legislation protecting Indigenous cultural heritage.

Senator Cox argued heritage laws in Australia are far too weak and more needed to be strengthened to ensure an incident similar to Juukan Gorge never happened again.

“They haven’t been recorded as part of history, and again we go back to why truth telling is so important.”

Truth telling and Treaty on Greens agenda for next parliament

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has firmly ruled out any further action on a Voice to parliament, and the Labor Party has avoided discussing issues of truth telling and treaty making.

“It is this particular time we absolutely need truth telling and then we move on to agreement making to treaties in this country so we can have peace, we can have healing, and most of all we can have First Nations justice.”