Rio Tinto acknowledges interim report from Australian Parliamentary Committee
Rio Tinto acknowledges the release today of the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia’s interim report following its inquiry into the destruction of rockshelters at Juukan Gorge on the land of the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people (PKKP) in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Rio Tinto reiterates its apology to the Traditional Owners, the PKKP, and remains adamant that the destruction of the Juukan rockshelters should not have occurred. The destruction of the Juukan rock shelters was wrong; it should not have happened and it does not reflect the values that Rio TInto aspires to.
Simon Thompson, Chairman of Rio Tinto, said “We recogise the destruction of the Juukan rockshelters caused significant pain to the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people and we are working very hard to progress a remedy with them.
“As a business, we are committed to learning from this event to ensure the destruction of heritage sites of such exceptional archaeological and cultural significance never occurs again. We have made important changes to the way we manage cultural heritage sites and our relationships with Traditional Owners, including a commitment to modernise our agreements. We recognise the importance of ensuring relationships with Traditional Owners are built on partnerships based on mutual benefit, respect and trust.”
Since the destruction of the rock shelters, Rio Tinto has worked with the PKKP on a rehabilitation programme for the Juukan 1 and Juukan 2 rock shelters and, with the PKKP, is assessing ways to protect the area for the future. This includes extending a mining moratorium around the Juukan Gorge and establishing a purpose-built facility to store artefacts discovered during heritage preservation works.
Rio Tinto has also introduced changes to ensure heritage sites of exceptional significance, like the Juukan Gorge rockshelters, are protected and preserved. These include:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rio Tinto welcomed the opportunity to participate in the Joint Standing Committee’s Inquiry and will review the Committee’s recommendations in coming days.
Follow @RioTinto on Twitter
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201209005418/en/
Contact
Contacts
media.enquiries@riotinto.com
riotinto.com
Media Relations, United Kingdom
Illtud Harri
M +44 7920 503 600
David Outhwaite
T +44 20 7781 1623
M +44 7787 597 493
Media Relations, Americas
Matthew Klar
T +1 514 608 4429
Media Relations, Asia
Grant Donald
T +65 6679 9290
M +65 9722 6028
Media Relations, Australia
Jonathan Rose
T +61 3 9283 3088
M +61 447 028 913
Matt Chambers
T +61 3 9283 3087
M +61 433 525 739
Jesse Riseborough
T +61 8 6211 6013
M +61 436 653 412
Investor Relations, United Kingdom
Menno Sanderse
T: +44 20 7781 1517
M: +44 7825 195 178
David Ovington
T +44 20 7781 2051
M +44 7920 010 978
Clare Peever
M: +44 7788 967 877
Investor Relations, Australia
Natalie Worley
T +61 3 9283 3063
M +61 409 210 462
Amar Jambaa
T +61 3 9283 3627
M +61 4 7286 5948
Rio Tinto Plc
6 St James’s Square
London SW1Y 4AD
United Kingdom
T +44 20 7781 2000
Registered in England
No. 719885
Rio Tinto Ltd.
Level 7, 360 Collins Street
Melbourne 3000
Australia
T +61 3 9283 3333
Registered in Australia
ABN 96 004 458 404
