Just over five years after Rio Tinto destroyed sacred sites at Juukan Gorge in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, the traditional owners of the area have reached a new agreement with the mining company.
On Monday morning, the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) Aboriginal Corporation and Rio Tinto announced the deal, which governs the company’s iron ore operations on PKKP lands.
The corporation stated that the agreement grants traditional owners a “much greater say” in what happens on their country.
This development follows years of strained relations between the PKKP people and Rio Tinto after the destruction of 47,000-year-old rock shelters.
The new deal includes heritage management plans designed to protect significant cultural sites.
It marks a significant shift, with commitments from both parties to collaborate throughout all stages of mining, which PKKP Aboriginal Corporation CEO Grant Wilson described as groundbreaking and innovative.
“I believe it will change the way mining is conducted, certainly in the Pilbara, and hopefully across Australia,” he said.
Pinikura traditional owner and corporation chair Terry Drage added that the agreement will also provide Rio Tinto with earlier certainty on where development can take place during the mine planning process.
“Ultimately, this benefits us as traditional owners and is good for business,” Mr Drage said.
Improving on Heritage Laws
PKKP chief heritage officer Jordan Ralph has criticized the shortcomings of Western Australia’s current heritage laws but said this new agreement goes well beyond the protections offered by the Aboriginal Heritage Act.
“In the past, mining companies typically only engaged meaningfully with traditional owners at the end of their study process, after investing significant capital and making key decisions without their input,” Dr Ralph explained.
“This agreement removes that situation. We engage early, provide mine planners with the information they need, exclude important heritage from mine plans, and design the mining operations together.”
Ongoing Issues Despite Laws
Mining company Rio Tinto destroyed two 47,000-year-old rock shelters in 2020. An archaeologist has noted that such destruction continues “almost on a daily basis.”
The agreement includes a heritage protocol with strategies such as buffer zones, blast management, and fencing to protect sites.
Rio Tinto reaffirmed its commitment to rehabilitating the Juukan Gorge area.
“The destruction of the Juukan Gorge rock shelters on May 24, 2020, caused immense pain to the PKKP people and profoundly changed our company,” said Rio Tinto iron ore CEO Simon Trott.
“Through open and generous sharing of knowledge and experiences, the PKKP have helped shape a renewed approach to managing cultural heritage protection alongside mining activities.”
