Aboriginal peak body is being criticized over calls to establish a “cultural police” to inspect homes and farms in Victoria

A plan to allow Indigenous cultural researchers to enter private property in Victoria without the owner’s or tenant’s permission has been rejected.

The Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council has warned that its staff investigating suspected heritage violations need more powers to do their work.

The council, which reports to the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet, used as an example the remains of an Indigenous person that may have been in a shed but were not recovered because entry required the occupier’s consent.

The move outraged Sky News presenter James Morrow, who described it as “cultural police”, “Orwellian”, “statism” and “anti-freedom”.

His co-hosts Rita Panahi and Rowan Dean angrily agreed with him and used the opportunity to attack all sorts of progressive politics in Australia, including Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney.

Sky News presenter James Morrow (pictured) described it as “cultural police”, “Orwellian”, “statism” and “anti-freedom”.

The council, which reports to the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet, used an example of the remains of an Indigenous person that may have been in a shed but were not recovered because access required permission from the occupier (pictured below including the Grampians National Park). several places in Victoria protected by heritage laws)

“This cultural police would have the right to enter people’s private property, such as farms and homes in Victoria, without seeking the owner’s permission, to check whether there have been any violations of Indigenous cultural sites, heritage or land,” Morrow said.

The US-based broadcaster told his co-hosts that the “cultural police” was just the latest attack on ordinary Australians.

“People always look at things like this in isolation, Covid, the vote… it’s all this thread of statism and it’s this thread of control and it’s a thread of anti-freedom and a thread of real crackdown on ordinary Australians who.” “I just want to live their lives and tell them how to live,” he said.

Rita Panahi, who was born in the US and grew up in Iran before coming to Australia with her family as a refugee, also saw the Victorian move as part of a wider agenda.

“This is the left-wing march and it’s always the same people, whether it’s about global warming, whether it’s about race issues – BLM (Black Lives Matter) marches or Invasion Day, or whether you see people now who “take to the streets for the Palestinian cause.” – in almost all cases they are the same people.

“And it’s the same group of people that are pushing this anti-West agenda, saying we’re not legitimate, this is an evil country.”

Panahi said she was afraid of the proposal because of her own experiences in Iran.

“When you say something like “cultural police,” I get goosebumps. I come from a country where there is a moral police that checks whether women wear their hijab correctly.

“And if they don’t, they get beaten up and taken to prison, sometimes they’re killed.” “When you talk about something like that, alarm bells ring, for everyone.”

The show’s third host, Rowan Dean, joked that he had hoped that the culture police would “give thanks to the Archibald (Art Prize) and some modern art centers and basically remove everything that has been done or painted since the 1970s.” “

“But this is really sinister stuff. Of course it comes from the police of the Victorian Labor culture, roaming around and checking to see if something wrong has been done to Aboriginal culture.”

A plan to allow Indigenous cultural researchers to enter private property in Victoria without the owner’s or tenant’s permission has been harshly criticized by Sky News presenters including Rita Panahi (pictured).

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council for comment.

The revelations come after it emerged a climber was threatened with a fine of more than $300,000 for allegedly breaching heritage laws.

The visitor was stunned to receive a letter after his visit to the Grampians National Park in Victoria on October 18.

Victoria’s First Peoples-State Relations unit is reportedly monitoring climbers and other visitors after climbing was banned in the area in 2019.

The ban was put in place to protect indigenous heritage – including rock art that is so worn it can only be viewed through special X-ray glasses.

A climber’s home was visited twice by an investigator from the First Peoples Unit who claimed a vehicle registered in his name was linked to heritage violations.

Investigator Adam Green, who works in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, left a letter at the climber’s property after two visits.