16 June 2020

Rio Tinto...iron ore chief executive, Chris Salisbury, reportedly told a staff meeting that the apology was for any distress caused, not an admission the company had done wrong.

According to the Australian Financial Review, which says it heard a recording of a Rio Tinto staff meeting ...Salisbury described the events leading up to the detonation of the site, then said: “That’s why we haven’t apologised for the event itself, per se, but apologised for the distress the event caused.”

He also reassured staff the company maintained the backing of “political leaders of both sides”...saying he had “engaged with lots and lots of stakeholders and … quietly, there is still support for us out there”.

He also reportedly told staff the episode was “quite galling to me as well, because we are recognised … as one of the leading resources companies in this field”.

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