Page 4 - pd284-July20-mag-web_Neat

Rio can’t shelter from

Juukan destruction

The Juukan Gorge rock shelters con- “On October 28, 2019 during a site visit to Purlykuti, PKKPAC cul-
troversy is a reminder of how delicate the ture and heritage manager Dr Heather Builth told Rio Tinto Brockman
relationship between miners and tradi- 4 mine operations manager Brad Webb of the significance of the rock
tional owners can still be. shelters. The high significance of the site was further relayed to Rio
I will say from the beginning, I will not Tinto by PKKPAC as recently as March.
be attempting to defend Rio Tinto Ltd on “The fact remains that Rio Tinto did not advise the PKKPAC of its
this occasion. Few of us may have heard intention to blast the area in the vicinity of Juukan 1 and 2 and our staff
of the Juukan Gorge heritage sites be- only found out by default on May 15 when we sought access to the area
fore they were blasted but I for one was saddened to hear these sign- for NAIDOC Week in July.”
posts to Australia’s ancient past had been destroyed. Where the blame lies – company individuals, corporate protocols, the
This is no opportunistic local take on the racial inequality movement regulator’s framework, etc. – is still unclear but what is obvious is that
boiling over across the globe sparked by George Floyd’s murder in the the mining sector is faced with yet another challenge to its approach
US, that it occurred at the same time is just a coincidence. It is the dev- to cultural issues. The timing is particularly problematic for the industry
astating loss of a remarkable archaeological find which highlighted the given it coincides with heightened global awareness about systemic ra-
long, deep history of Australia’s First Nations. cial inequality, colonial history, and power imbalances.
The Traditional Owners, represented by the PKKPAC, were rightly The industry has made remarkable progress on indigenous relations
distressed by the blasting of the sites but largely showed restraint in in the last 20 years, turning itself from opponent, to supporter and now,
the public sphere. How long this is maintained in light of the leaked re- in many cases, partner.
cording of Rio Tinto Iron The fears of industry
Ore Ltd chief executive created by the Mabo Act
Chris Salisbury’s appar- and Native Title largely
ent qualification of the Where the blame lies – company failed to materialise. The
apology was unknown individuals, corporate protocols, the industry was not cur-
as Paydirt went to print. tailed and as companies
Speaking to several regulator’s framework, etc. – is still unclear have built deeper con-
company insiders, it is but what i nections with traditional
obvious this is a devas- “ s obvious is that the mining sector owners, Native Title
tating blow to individu- is faced with yet another challenge to its agreements have be-
als within Rio Tinto, in- come less transactional
cluding Salisbury. The approach to cultural issues. The timing is and more holistic.
company has become particularly problematic given it coincides More broadly, the
the undoubted industry last two or three years
leader on indigenous with heightened global awareness about have seen the industry
inclusion and cultural systemic racial inequality, colonial history, work hard to display
awareness over the last more progressive ten-
decade but this issue and power imbalances. dencies on issues as
highlights just how pre- wide-ranging as carbon
carious that position is. emissions, gender and
For all the personal awareness, this problem has exposed the enor- cultural diversity and economic impact. Where once they were known
mous gaps still present between in the areas of culture and archaeology as “soft issues”, ESG obligations are now central to many company
and the regulatory framework. The question now is whether this was an strategies.
unavoidable mistake, a result of a broken regulatory system or part of a However, the sector cannot afford to let that progress slide by pre-
wider systemic problem? senting itself as anything other than the culprit in this case. How it re-
Initially, Rio Tinto appeared to suggest the significance of the Juukan sponds could set the trend on how it is viewed in the coming decade.
Gorge shelters had been missed due to the regulatory framework and Paydirt isn’t generally in the busines of laying into the mining com-
protocols governing the process. panies – our editorial position is as strong advocate for the benefits the
“We are sorry that the recently expressed concerns of the PKKP did industry brings society – but on this occasion, I see no alternative than
not arise through the engagements that have taken place over many for Rio Tinto and the entire industry to accept culpability and work to
years under the agreement that governs our operations on their coun- make its systems and practices better and avoid it happening again.
try,” the company said in a statement. If it does not, the sector risks being gathered up in the growing basket
However, PKKPAC spokesperson Burchell Hayes quickly dismissed of establishment figures activists, demonstrators and protestors around
those claims, suggesting the statement was an effort in damage limita- the world are rightly targeting.
tion.
“PKKPAC has, on numerous occasions since 2013, communicated
to Rio Tinto the significance of Juukan Gorge, in particular the rock shel-
ters in the area,” Hayes said in a statement. dominic@paydirt.com.au @DominicPiper

Page 4 JULY 2020 aUSTRaLIa’S PaYDIRT