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Australia: Roe8 extension could face more legal challenges

The West Australia state government is expected to face another legal challenge for its proposed extension of the Roe 8 highway, according to ABC News. This fresh challenge will be filed by local traditional owner Corina Abraham who will argue that the WA government's process for granting Aboriginal heritage approval is flawed. In June 2015, the Aboriginal Cultural Materials Committee decided to approve the state government's request for disturbing registered aboriginal sites in order to extend the Ro
April 4, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The West Australia state government is expected to face another legal challenge for its proposed extension of the Roe 8 highway, according to ABC News.

This fresh challenge will be filed by local traditional owner Corina Abraham who will argue that the WA government's process for granting Aboriginal heritage approval is flawed.

In June 2015, the Aboriginal Cultural Materials Committee decided to approve the state government's request for disturbing registered aboriginal sites in order to extend the Roe 8 highway.

Roe Highway is a 35 kilometre limited access highway and partial freeway in the south-eastern suburbs of the city of Perth, linking Middle Swan in the north-east with Bibra Lake in the south-west. It forms half of Perth's outer ring road. Roe Highway stage 8, or Roe8, is the proposed 8km Freemantle Eastern Bypass at the southern end of Roe Highway.

It was noted that Roe 8 is the first phase of the state's US$1.2 billion Perth Freight Link development and is a key component of the entire project.

The decision was a turn-around from the committee's rejection of the request that was made during February 2013. ABC reported that sources have said that Abraham will file the legal challenge in WA's Supreme Court.

In December, the chief justice overturned the environmental approval of the controversial Roe 8 highway extension, saying that the environmental assessment and the government’s approval were “invalid”.

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