Reuters reported that Rio Tinto is yet to pay compensation to the Aboriginal group whose ancient rock shelters it destroyed for an iron ore mine in Western Australia last year. Rio’s Australian operations head Ms Kellie Parker told the inquiry that the company is committed to doing the right thing around paying restitution but said that details around the financial component of any compensation were subject to a confidentiality agreement at the PKKP’s request.She said “Rio Tinto has rehabilitated parts of the Juukan Gorge and is working to restore the shelters in a structurally sound way. More broadly, it has also committed to review mining plans around all areas of significance and to modernise agreements with traditional owners.”The incident last year destroyed the historically and culturally significant site at Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region that showed evidence of human habitation 46,000 years ago into the last Ice Age. The destruction created public outrage that led to a dramatic overhaul of Rio’s leadership and a review of the Australian laws that are supposed to protect significant sites of the world’s oldest living culture. An interim report from a federal parliamentary inquiry in December said Rio should pay restitution to the Puuti Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people with the final report due in the coming months
Reuters reported that Rio Tinto is yet to pay compensation to the Aboriginal group whose ancient rock shelters it destroyed for an iron ore mine in Western Australia last year. Rio’s Australian operations head Ms Kellie Parker told the inquiry that the company is committed to doing the right thing around paying restitution but said that details around the financial component of any compensation were subject to a confidentiality agreement at the PKKP’s request.She said “Rio Tinto has rehabilitated parts of the Juukan Gorge and is working to restore the shelters in a structurally sound way. More broadly, it has also committed to review mining plans around all areas of significance and to modernise agreements with traditional owners.”The incident last year destroyed the historically and culturally significant site at Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region that showed evidence of human habitation 46,000 years ago into the last Ice Age. The destruction created public outrage that led to a dramatic overhaul of Rio’s leadership and a review of the Australian laws that are supposed to protect significant sites of the world’s oldest living culture. An interim report from a federal parliamentary inquiry in December said Rio should pay restitution to the Puuti Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people with the final report due in the coming months
