Proposed changes to WA's Aboriginal Heritage Act would reduce the amount of control traditional owners had over sacred sites, an Indigenous representative group has said.

The State Government has released draft reforms to the legislation, which is 42 years old and sets out the way in which sacred Aboriginal places and objects should be preserved.

The Department for Aboriginal Affairs said the proposed changes were designed to provide certainty and fairness to all.

The Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation is a Native Title body representing claimants in the Pilbara, Murchison and Gascoyne.

CEO Simon Hawkins said the proposed changes were a "wasted opportunity to address the deep inequities embedded in the Aboriginal protection regime" in WA.

One of the corporation's major concerns is that Aboriginal people might not be fully consulted about threats to their sites.

Mr Hawkins said he was particularly concerned by a proposal to give the CEO of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs the authority to make decisions on proposals to speed up the approvals process.

"The amendments don't really provide a balance of systems," he said.

"While it's important to have efficiencies, there's not a focus upon conservation and management of sites, it seems to be very much focused on the approvals process."

Mr Hawkins said the Corporation was also worried about the ramifications for Aboriginal claimants of not disclosing sacred sites.

"The amendments talk about introducing penalties that could apply to traditional owners if they don't report sites to the Government," he said.

"It's a fine of up to $50,000. However there's no requirement on the CEO or department to involve those traditional owners in decisions about how to manage those sites going forward so we see there's a significant imbalance in the amendments that's being put forward today."

Changes designed to protect Aboriginal heritage: Department

But the Department of Aboriginal Affairs' Chief Heritage Officer Aaron Rayner said the proposed changes had been designed to provide certainty, fairness and consistency.

He said one of the key changes to the Act was increased penalties.

"The main changes are really around increasing the penalty provisions to bring them up to speed with other jurisdictions, so for a company now the penalty or the fine can be up to a million dollars or two years in prison." Mr Rayner said.

"We want to... send a very strong message to the community that Aboriginal heritage, and the protection of it, is important to the state and the general community."

He said a public register of important Aboriginal sites was planned which could be accessed by those planning land development activities, however, secret sites would be withheld.

"There have been concerns from the Aboriginal community over the years about disclosing Aboriginal heritage sites and we've listened to that and the regulations will make provision about protecting information about important places," he said.

"About four or five per cent of the information we hold is sensitive, and we'll build in security measures into our electronic register that prevent the general public from accessing the detail of those sites."

Mr Rayner said registering sites was not just for the benefit of land users.

"The register is also the state's central depository for Aboriginal heritage information, which is a tool for education and celebration and we want to broaden the scope of the register," he said.

Mr Rayner said public comment on the changes was open until August 6.

"At the end of that process, Government will listen to what people have said about the amendment bill and will consider changes where necessary," he said.

In a statement, the Aboriginal Affairs Minister Peter Collier said the pace of economic development, particularly within the mining and construction sectors, had highlighted inadequacies with the current legislation.

"These changes are about improving Aboriginal heritage protection, not watering it down," he said.

Mr Collier said the proposed changes had been developed after initial consultation in 2012.

"In the two years since, the department has engaged with those who work within the confines of the act, including relevant Aboriginal organisations and industry, to ensure the proposed amendments are balanced and effective," he said.

"The current eight-week consultation period provides a further opportunity for comment."