The Northern Territory needs to respect Aboriginal people and stop Sacred Sites legislation, the Central Land Council says.
The proposed amendments to the Territory's Sacred Sites have caused consternation with Indigenous groups and land councils, who argue it is a "rush job that undermines the integrity of the Sacred Sites Act in favour of proponents".
On Thursday, the CLC—which represents 24,000 remote Indigenous people across Central Australia—said proper consultation with traditional owners was needed.
Land Council chair Warren Williams said the land council "strongly urge[s]" the Minister to "bin the bill".
He said the government needed to "co-design a consultation process with the land councils" after the Minister told CLC delegates Traditional Owners will be able to decide if there will be an "enforceable undertaking" or a prosecution where a site has been damaged.
The CLC said the Minister also noted that sacred site clearance certificates will only be transferred from one developer to another if the scope of a project is identical to the original certificate.
The current amendments to the bill do not contain these provisions.
Last month, Northern Land Council Chair Matthew Ryan said the Sacred Sites Act "isn't about putting profits before our people; it is to protect our cultural heritage as we are obliged to do as custodians".
"Traditional Owners deserve the courtesy of being consulted about matters of critical importance and they are angry about being ignored," he argued.
It came after Minister for Lands, Planning and Environment Joshua Burgoyne said the CLP government "respects Aboriginal decision-making practices and decisions".
"We are removing ourselves from prescribing a process for consent that already exists through existing practices," Mr Burgoyne said.
"These amendments will provide the ability for Aboriginal landowners to activate water that is allocated to them to drive economic activity in regional communities."
The CLC said they welcomed a commitment from the Minister to "keep talking," arguing land councils across the Territory have long advocated for recognition of their sacred sites processes and ways to strengthen sacred sites legislation.
Mr Williams, who was elected chair for a second term on Wednesday, said the "fast-tracked" amendments in their current form sidelined land councils and were instead designed to "please land users and developers".
"We are outraged because our sacred sites mean the world to us, and it's our duty to protect them and not just take the government's word on trust," he said.
"Our sites belong to us, not the government and it should not change the law protecting our sites without our informed consent."
CLC called for a co-designed bill to streamline processes by recognising land council sacred site clearance certificates, which "guarantee to developers that the right people have been consulted and that approved projects won't land them in court".
"Despite the unholy rush of the government, we have made a submission that builds on our earlier submissions and includes the amendments to the bill that are important to us," Mr Williams said.
Earlier this month, both the CLC and NLC said the Country Liberal government was moving the Territory closer to "an anti-democratic regime pursuing development at any cost".
Along with the Sacred Sites amendments, the government passed the contentious Territory Coordinator Bill last month, despite strong opposition from leading Indigenous groups and legal experts.
They have also promoted the Water Amendment (Aboriginal Water Reserves) Bill 2025 (Water Amendment Bill), which the two land councils say will give away "our precious water to foreign and interstate interests" and would only deprive First Peoples in the region of development opportunities - both now and in the future.
"The constant attacks on Aboriginal self-determination are exhausting and insulting. They need to stop," Mr Ryan said at the time.
