Rio Tinto face pressure from traditional owners over heritage reforms

Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto has pledged to deliver on heritage reforms following the Juukan Gorge controversy last May which saw the company blast a 46,000-year-old cave system sacred to the local aboriginal population.

Rio Tinto's new CEO Jakon Strausholm has sworn to make heritage protection front-and-centre in the minds of his employees to prevent another disaster of this calibre happening in the future.

Read more: Rio Tinto begin negotations over Oyu Tolgoi copper mine extension

However, the traditional owners in recent days have criticised the miner for its lack of details in these plans and yet to see improvement in the company's handling of heritage management.

On Tuesday, the company announced it will publicly report to investors on its progress in improving its attitudes towards preserving cultural heritage sites as a way of rebuilding a relationship of trust with the aboriginals.

Tinto is expected to form an "Indigenous advisory group" to help it better understand the issues facing the traditional owners, identifying gaps and providing a clear pathway to rebuild a relationship between the two parties.

The group have revealed the number of indigenous leaders within the company has doubled since the disaster, from 7 to 15.

In all, nine aboriginal corporations have met for agreement with Rio Tinto in order to prevent similar disasters from occurring.

Reuters has reported the aboriginal groups have not been given real detail as to how the miner will operate in the future and its plans to deliver these schemes.

In a statement given to Reuters, Tony Bevan, a director at Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation (WGAC) said the plans came across as "another big company marketing document."

He added: “WGAC is yet to see any evidence of a strengthened and improved approach to cultural heritage management. We have no visibility on the significantly strengthened internal practices, policies and governance that is referred to."

Concerns have also been raised that the formation of an advisory group would create standardisation which may affect native communities differently depending on where they are based.

The WGAC publicly released a series of metric it wishes for mining companies to meet when digging on native land.

Strausholm revealed to an investor panel his intentions to be forthcoming with aboriginals about his plans and that further disclosures would be made regarding its plans for heritage management.

The controversy saw a number of key executives within the company - who had been linked with the blasting - put up to the block following the disaster.

Earlier this month, Simon Thompson, the company's chairman, stepped down as he felt he was partly responsible for the event.

Read more: Rio Tinto's chairman steps downs following Juukan Gorge controversy

Straudholm told the panel of the company's plans to measure their progress against the reforms promised and a commitment to better communication with the traditional owners. As of right now, these measures could do with slight improvement.

The miner will reportedly also look into how the traditional owner's views would shape its commitments, increasing governance oversight and feedback as to how it was performing on these commitments.

Strausholm added the executives at Tinto "feel very accountable" for the Juukan Gorge disaster and vowed to never let a similar incident happen again.

He said the required reforms will go way beyond standard company procedure.

He told the panel: “It has to be felt in the hearts and the minds, the same way as we have built safety culture over decades. The one big thing is to make sure that we consistently get this as a value."

Investors have reportedly welcomed the commitment to greater transparency, although it remains to be seen if Tinto will deliver on its promises.

A number of other aboriginal corporations have welcomed Tinto's push for rebuilding a relationship with the traditional owners.

Read more: Rio Tinto's destruction of Juukan Gorge "inexcusable" say Australian lawmakers

Michael Woodley, Chief Executive Officer of the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation (YAC) said he was impressed at the miner attempting to leave a positive legacy following from the crisis.

However, he told Reuters the company still need to broaden its scopes for self-determination to meet industry standards for monetary assessments and indigenous water stewardship.

The Juukan Gorge controversy was the first of a string of controversies to which the miner was linked in 2020, with some, such as the Oyu Tolgoi mine dispute with the Mongolian government, spilling into the new year.

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