Rio Tinto still to pay traditional owners of Juukan Gorge

Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto has yet to pay out compensation to the aboriginal group who own the Juukan Gorge cave complex which was destroyed in a mining accident last May.

Company officials revealed to a parliamentary inquiry on Friday (August 27) that the miner still had not paid reparations to the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) people, the traditional owners of the 46,000-year-old complex destroyed for an iron ore mine in the Pilbara region.

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

The blasting of the complex caused a public outrage which led to several company executives being let go, a parliamentary inquiry being launched into the company, and has led to the Australian government considering reviewing mining laws to prevent similar incidents in the future.

However, the company also faced an internal shareholder rebellion over the bonuses of the three executives who were let go following the explosion.

The PKKP have revealed they wish to have a say in Rio Tinto's future mining operations, as to further attempt to protect the land of aboriginal people. 

However, there was concern earlier this year over whether aboriginal groups would work with Rio Tinto to mend ties, after several groups accused outgoing chairman Simon Thompson of "breaking a personal promise" to better the working relationship between all parties after transferring acting head of iron ore, Ivan Vella, who has been handpicked by the PKKP to help negotiations.

The parliamentary report in December suggested the miner should pay restitutions to the PKKP. A result was not agreed upon, however, but is due within a few months.

The inquiry heard that Tinto was committed to "doing the right thing", but the deal was subject to a confidentiality agreement at the behest of the aboriginal corporation.

The company's head of Australian operations, Kellie Parker also revealed the miner was attempting to repair some of the damage caused.

There has also been a slight reshuffle in how the company do business with traditional owners, with this now being the role of operational managers, rather than heritage divisions.

However, the miner does not always pay out compensation to traditional owners affected by mines built before 1993, even if those mines are still operational.

This has spurred some controversy with the Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation (WGAC) - on whose land Rio currently operates six mines - as the company has been accused of destroying hundreds of sacred artefacts dating back to the Ice Age, being roughly 18,000 years old.

Read more: Rio Tinto accused of destroying Ice Age Aboriginal artefacts

The WGAC wish for compensation over these mines to form part of the modern agreement between them miner and aboriginal groups. Further issues have arisen with Australia's mining sector refusing traditional owners access these lands.

Despite this, aboriginal groups, including the PKKP, have expressed interest in continuing to mend the relationship between Tinto and the landowners.

In the preliminary hearing in December 2020, Australian lawmakers referred to the destruction of Juukan Gorge as "inexcusable" and called for a freeze on all mining operations that threaten heritage sites for indigenous people.

Back to Homepage

Back to Metals & Mining