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The first major test for the Cook Government has not gone well, judging by the level of backlash over the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act from miners, farmers and Indigenous groups. The shambolic rollout was on full display this week, with the Government continuing to tweak the laws right up to the 11th hour amid growing pressure but opposing calls for a delay. Some of that tinkering — particularly the commitment for a “light touch” approach to enforcing the new rules for the next year, an implementation group and an “education first” approach — will allow companies to go about their business without the fear of a fine hanging over their head. The Government also agreed to a one-year reprieve for more rigorous requirements to Indigenous heritage surveys after hastily taking down guidelines following concerns from industry, as revealed by The West Australian. Why all this had to be done the week before the new system was due to be brought in defies logic.

Strong commodity prices and WA’s powerhouse resources sector have played an “outsized” role in boosting the Federal Government’s coffers, with the Budget surplus ballooning to $19 billion at the end of May. New figures from the Department of Finance show a surge in company and personal tax payments underwriting a stronger than expected result. Receipts from the resources sector was one of the biggest contributors. Mr Albanese argued strong export links would be paramount to ensure unemployment levels remained low. “One in four Australian jobs depend on international trade and that ratio is only going to increase as the economic transformation under way in our region, the fastest growing region of the world in human history, gathers pace,” he told the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce on Friday.

“Canberra Hill is not a wealth creator or nation builder, but a user and waster of taxpayer funds, an inefficient disperser of taxpayers’ funds, and its record shows a place which fails to understand economic realities,” she said. “This lack of economic realities has resulted in policies which restrict our pensioners, students and even veterans from working as much as they may choose, while there is a widespread worker shortage, a worker shortage crisis, affecting many businesses and supplies.” At a time of record revenue, thanks to mining, one would expect government services to be provided abundantly and efficiently. Unfortunately, the opposite is the case. Notwithstanding the money flowing into state government coffers, the standard of the provision of services, which is the key role of state governments, has never been so poor.

Hancock Agriculture chairwoman Gina Rinehart said the summit was an opportunity for governments to better understand those living and working outside our cities. “Eighty-five per cent of Australians live in large urban locations, but we should not forget the engine room of our country, that being outside the cities in mining and agriculture and all of those who work in our bush,” she said. “They in turn make possible jobs for the many businesses the primary industries support; the truckies, the shops, even accountants, legals, tax advisers and many more.”

The backlash against the state legislation has been led by farmers, miners and property developers, and whipped up by the Liberals and National parties, which both oppose the Voice. Almost 30,000 people have signed a petition urging the Western Australia government to delay the legislation for at least six months. Pastoralists and Graziers’ Association president Tony Seamark, who filed the petition alongside Neil Thomson, the Liberal shadow planning minister, said the legislation has created an “intolerable” situation for landowners.

In the association’s submission during consultation, the group expressed concerns for its 2085 members. “This will have significant detrimental flow-on effects. The processes . . . will severely impact prospectors, sending some completely out of business. “APLA does not support the unworkable process . . . due to the catastrophic effect it will have on prospecting.”

The unachievable “net zero” is a massive con. Our piddling contribution to reducing emissions of CO2 is wiped by the growth in emissions-producing power plants in China, Africa and elsewhere. Oh, and it’s destroying our economy too. But it wasn’t enough for Labor and the Greens and the Teals to have signed up to this humbug. They went further and backed the Voice referendum which, if passed, would give a blank cheque to anyone claiming a skerrick of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage to challenge any law and administrative action, or non-action, on the grounds that they may be affected.

He said while “Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal interests are dependent on effective Aboriginal cultural heritage laws”, WA’s plans were not the way to do it. “The clear lesson from Juukan Gorge was that the protection and maintenance of genuine Aboriginal cultural heritage required approval processes that were transparent, detailed and well known,” he said. Senator Smith is calling for the proposed July 1 start date to be put back. “Premier Cook’s belligerence threatens the future prosperity of WA,” he said. “There is no shame in pressing the pause button for six months to allow a more comprehensive implementation and consultation program to undertaken.”

Gina Rinehart says adding a granny flat to a large backyard could be held up by contentious Indigenous heritage laws set to come into effect in Western Australia next month. Mrs Rinehart joins critics of the proposal who have described it as “shambolic” and said it would probably hold up new mines and food production. Australia’s richest person also hit out at the federal government’s plan to boost immigration, saying it had no mandate for the policy and should instead ease restrictions on the hours worked by pensioners and students.

The modern history of the Hancocks is well known but earlier generations also had a big impact on our State’s development It is quite a picture. The striking white horses kick up dust as they work in unison to pull the coach through the WA outback. Five men sit atop the coach and a lone rider keeps pace alongside. The photo presents a fascinating reminder of how once supplies, mail and people were carried across vast stretches of WA.

Roger Cook must have been channelling an inner Albo when he faced his first parliamentary question time as Premier. Cook was confronted by a request from Opposition Leader Shane Love to postpone the implementation of Labor’s new Indigenous cultural heritage laws because of widespread community unrest. Love, the leader of the National Party, which holds seats only in regional WA, was responding to one of the biggest protest petitions ever presented to the Parliament, demanding a delay.