Legal

Update on Tony Maddox court case

The Supreme Court is expected to hand down its decision mid-year in the appeal brought by Toodyay farmer Tony Maddox – a case that has become a test of how Western Australia’s Aboriginal Heritage laws are applied to ordinary landholders. Last Friday the Supreme Court heard that the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage did not notify anyone that all the tributaries of the Avon River were being considered for inclusion on the government’s Register

Darren Brown February 26, 2026

Tony Maddox at the Perth Supreme Court. Credit: Justin Benson-Cooper/The West Australian

News Clippings

Countryman: Toodyay landholder Tony Maddox fronts court for Aboriginal Land Heritage Act 1972 appeal

Toodyay landholder Tony Maddox fought back tears before heading into WA’s Supreme Court to appeal a criminal conviction for building a culvert on his private land on Friday. Maddox, a former real estate agent, was convicted under the Aboriginal Land Heritage Act 1972 last year after he was charged and fined $2000 for repairing an existing creek crossing on his property, without knowing part of his land had been designated a site of cultural significance.

Darren Brown February 24, 2026

News Clippings

Farm Weekly: Court case to defend rights of everyone

When Tony Maddox walks into the Supreme Court tomorrow, Friday, February 20, supporters say he will be carrying more than his own defence. He will be testing how Aboriginal heritage law applies to freehold farmland across WA. The Toodyay farmer has pursued a judge-only appeal against his conviction for breaching WA’s unamended Aboriginal Heritage Act (ACHA) 1972, after undertaking works on a creek crossing at his property in 2022. Found guilty in the Magistrates Court

Darren Brown February 19, 2026

Opinion Articles

How close is “too close” for a 300-metre tall wind turbine?

There are moments in public policy when you read a document, glance at the date, and briefly wonder whether someone has accidentally fed the printer a filing from another era. The Western Australian Planning Commission’s draft Renewable Energy Planning Code is one such moment. Released for public comment at the end of 2025, it poses a question of pressing contemporary relevance: how close to your house should a 300-metre-tall wind turbine be built? This would

Trevor Whittington February 17, 2026

Toodyay landholder Tony Maddox. Credit: Iain Gillespie/The West Australian

News Clippings

The Countryman: WAFarmers, PGA double down on Tony Maddox support as he prepares to head to Supreme Court

The following article appeared today on The Countryman newspaper website today. WAFarmers, PGA double down on Tony Maddox support as he prepares to head to Supreme Court Cally Dupe | Countryman WA’s two main agricultural lobby groups have doubled down on their support for Toodyay landholder Tony Maddox, while reassuring members that no levy or membership funds are being used to fight his case. WAFarmers and the Pastoralists and Graziers Association of Western Australia said

Darren Brown February 4, 2026

Avon River

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