Juukan Gorge: traditional owners want a say in Rio Tinto's mining operations

The traditional owners of the Juukan Gorge mining complex are putting further pressure on Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto by asking for "a seat at its table" to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.

The Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) Aboriginal Corporation have revealed they are working to mend the relationship between the two parties nearly a year after the mining giant blasted a 46,000-year-old cave system at the complex sacred to the local aboriginal population.

The company has been facing pressure from multiple sides, including a shareholder rebellion two weeks ago over the bonuses of the three executives who lost their jobs as a result of the explosion.

Read more: Rio Tinto faces shareholder rebellion over ex-CEO's bonus

In a video interview released to commemorate the anniversary of the incident, Burchell Hayes, a director for the PKKP Corporation said the traditional owners wanted a hand in helping plan future mining endeavours to help protect cultural heritage sites under a co-management model.

He added: "We are not opposed to mining, however, we want to ensure that we are around the table when it comes to making decisions about the impact on our country. We are not going to let this happen again... We’re not going to let this happen again."

Three major executives, including its former CEO, lost their jobs as a result of the explosion and many more faced action as shareholders and the Australian government intervened.

The disaster has also caused chairman Simon Thompson to step down owing to him feeling partially responsible for the incident.

New CEO Jakob Strausholm has had his work cut out for him attempting to mend the relationship with the public following the explosion. Juukan Gorge is but a number of controversies the miner has been involved with over the last 12 months.

In a statement, he revealed how he felt for the PKKP and how what they lost was "irreplaceable."

"The work we have to do at Juukan Gorge is beyond the remediation of the site. We will work in partnership with Traditional Owners and Indigenous communities wherever we operate to secure a shared future," he said.

“Strausholm added: "We must do better, and we will. That is our commitment."

Stausholm has vowed to make heritage protection "front-and-centre" in its reform coming out of the crisis. However, criticism has been levied at the company by the traditional owners for a "lack of transparency" in how it plans to handle this.

Read more: Rio Tinto face pressure from traditional owners over heritage reforms

The company faced a senate inquiry, increased regulation on mining activities in the country, significant public backlash and a shareholder rebellion over the explosion.

The inquiry found that the miner has four alternative plans for the project, none of which were shared with the traditional owners and none of which would have breached the Juukan Gorge complex.

Hayes said no amount of compensation will be able to replace what Tinto had done to the complex.

He said: “To us, it is not rocks and carvings, to us this is precious. It means something to us for many years ago, our ancestors looked after this. It was very important to them and now it’s passed on to us and that’s why it’s very important for us to look after this.

"It's proof that our ancestors occupied this area for 46,000 years and for that to be taken away, it's hard to understand why that happened.

"An opportunity was taken away from us when it came to sharing our culture, our heritage and the significance of this site to our future generations."

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