Juukan Gorge traditional owners sign agreement with Rio Tinto to co-manage WA mining land
20 May 2022
The traditional owners of Juukan Gorge have signed a preliminary agreement with Rio Tinto to co-manage land that is still being mined for iron ore.
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The traditional owners have demanded they be given a co-management role in determining the future of mines that fall within their native title area, which covers 10,888 sq km between Onslow and Tom Price in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
The chair of the PKKP Aboriginal Corporation, Burchall Hayes, said the signing of a new heads of agreement this week was the first step in rebuilding that relationship. [...]
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Rio Tinto’s iron ore chief executive, Simon Trott, said the company “continues to reflect on the loss and hurt that we caused at Juukan Gorge which was a clear breach of our values”.
“The PKKP people have graciously shared their knowledge to help inform our approach to best practice management and protection of cultural heritage as well as how we can deliver better social and economic outcomes on the ground,” Trott said. “Our discussions on these matters continue as we work to create a shared future.”
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