INDIGENOUS PEOPLES – WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Juukan payments stay secret

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 1-Apr-25

The Juukan Gorge Legacy Foundation has been given permission by the Australian Charities & Not-For-Profits Commission to redact most of the information from its annual accounts. The Foundation was established by Rio Tinto and the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people in 2023 as part of an agreement to remedy the iron ore miner’s destruction of Indigenous heritage at Juukan Gorge in 2020, with the Foundation receiving a multimillion-dollar payment from Rio each year. Confirming that the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission had given it permission to redact its accounts, a Foundation spokesman said it was done to "avoid pricing heritage destruction".

CORPORATES
JUUKAN GORGE LEGACY FOUNDATION, AUSTRALIAN CHARITIES AND NOT-FOR-PROFITS COMMISSION, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

Juukan Gorge community back mining model

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 14-Dec-22

Rio Tinto and the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people are close to finalising a co-management agreement for the Brockman 4 iron ore mine in the Pilbara. PKKP Aboriginal Corporation chairman Burchell Hayes believes that such agreements could provide stronger protection for heritage sites than federal and state laws. He adds that the federal government did not adequately consult with traditional owners regarding proposed legislation that is designed to protect heritage sites. The legislation arose from a parliamentary inquiry into Rio Tinto’s destruction of ancient Indigenous rock shelters at Juukan Gorge as part of an expansion of the Brockman 4 mine.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, PKKP ABORIGINAL CORPORATION

Traditional owners compare FMG damage to Juukan Gorge

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 12-Oct-22

Fortescue Metals Group faces a compensation claim from the Yindjibarndi people over the construction of its Solomon iron ore hub in the Pilbara. The compensation claim is based on a Federal Court ruling that part of the Solomon hub was built without the permission of the traditional owners. Fortescue has been accused of destroying sacred and significant sites, and the Yindjibarndi’s compensation claim will be based on factors such as cultural loss, pain and suffering, and economic loss. The Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation has likened the cultural significance of the traditional owners’ losses to Rio Tinto’s destruction of ancient Indigenous rock shelters at Juukan Gorge.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, YINDJIBARNDI ABORIGINAL CORPORATION, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

Rio finds trust low after Juukan

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Lachlan Moffet Gray
The Australian – Page: 16 : 1-Oct-21

Rio Tinto’s survey of traditional owners in the Pilbara shows that the resources group still has much work to do in repairing strain relations in the wake of the destruction of ancient indigenous rock shelters at Juukan Gorge in 2020. One of the traditional owner entitles expressed the view that Rio Tinto is doing the "the bare minimum" to rebuild its reputation with indigenous Australians. Rio Tinto CEO Jakob Stausholm says that listening to indigenous groups will be a priority as it seeks to rebuild trust.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

Forrest speech on handouts earns rebuke

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Brad Thompson, Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 2-Sep-21

Iron ore magnate Andrew Forrest says welfare and mining royalties have contributed to the "wanton destruction" of the culture and livelihoods of indigenous Australians. He has told a conference that Fortescue Metals Group is focused on giving indigenous people a hand up rather than a hand out, by providing them with training and employment opportunities. However, his comments have been criticised by Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation CEO Michael Woodley, who says Fortescue’s priority should be fair compensation for indigenous communities.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, YINDJIBARNDI ABORIGINAL CORPORATION

Rio, traditional owners healing Juukan Gorge wounds

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 24-Dec-20

Resources giant Rio Tinto and the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura traditional owners have issued a joint statement about future co-operation in the wake of the destruction of ancient indigenous rock shelters in May 2020. The PKKP Aboriginal Corporation acknowledged that Rio Tinto has taken action to address the "hurt and devastation" caused by the blasting at Juukan Gorge, but noted that much more work must be done to ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the future.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

Rio head’s trip to heal Juukan Gorge wounds

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 2-Dec-20

A Rio Tinto spokesman has confirmed that chairman Simon Thompson has met with members of the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people in Western Australia. Thompson was forced to quarantine for 14 days on arrival from the UK, before visiting the site where ancient indigenous rock shelters at Juukan Gorge were destroyed by Rio Tinto’s blasting program. The federal government is undertaking a parliamentary inquiry into the incident, which resulted in the departure of three senior Rio Tinto executives, including CEO Jean-Sebastien Jacques.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

We’ll give you more of Pilbara spoils: Rio

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 7 : 15-Oct-20

Rio Tinto has committed to ensuring that indigenous peoples get a better deal under its revised land use agreements in the Pilbara. Rio Tinto has responded to the global condemnation over its destruction of ancient rock shelters at Juukan Gorge by vowing to ensure that traditional owners receive a greater share of the economic benefits arising from its iron ore projects in the region. Rio Tinto has also advised that it will reassess all of its activities that could potentially have an impact on indigenous heritage sites.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

BHP moves to protect heritage sites in Pilbara

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 15 & 20 : 18-Sep-20

BHP’s Australian head of minerals Edgar Basto has appeared before a parliamentary inquiry into Rio Tinto’s destruction of ancient rock shelters at Juukan Gorge. He said the resources giant is engaging with traditional owners with regard to its $US3.4bn ($4.7bn) South Flank iron ore project in the wake of the incident. BHP was given approval under Western Australia’s Aboriginal Heritage Act to destroy 40 Aboriginal heritage sites just days after Rio Tinto’s blasting at Juukan Gorge in May. However, BHP has already agreed to change its plans for South Flank to protect at least 10 of the sites.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

Native title challenge to Forrest deal

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Paige Taylor
The Australian – Page: 2 : 14-Jul-20

Billionaire miner and philanthropist Andrew Forrest and his wife Nicola have bid to buy two adjoining cattle stations in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Traditional owners of the Fitzroy also bid for the Jubilee Downs and Quanbun Downs stations, but they bid $25 million, while the Forrests are believed to have bid $30 million. The Yanunijarra Aboriginal Corporation has asked WA Lands Minister Ben Wyatt to intervene in the transfer of the leases of the two stations to the Forrests, and a spokesperson for Wyatt says transfers of pastoral leases are subject to a public interest test if they result in the holder of the lease exceeding 500,000 hectares.

CORPORATES
YANUNIJARRA ABORIGINAL CORPORATION, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF LANDS