Rio Tinto has donated $1 million to the Australian Red Cross, a non-profit community services charity, in a bid to help Queensland and New South Wales communities recover from ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
The donation was made under Rio Tinto’s disaster response program, which provides support in times of need to communities where the company operates.
The funds will help provide emergency relief, recovery assistance and long-term support services for those impacted by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
“The impact of Tropical Cyclone Alfred hits close to home for us, with one of our hubs in Brisbane and many of our team members and local suppliers living in southeast Queensland,” Rio Tinto chief executive officer Australia Kellie Parker said.
“The Australian Red Cross is doing incredible work, and we are proud to be supporting their critical relief and recovery efforts. We appreciate their continued commitment to supporting our communities, prioritising wellbeing and resilience building during challenging times.”
Rio Tinto is also matching employee donations to said relief efforts.
Following a tropical low in the Coral Sea being noted on February 20, Tropical Cyclone Alfred commenced on March 4 and brought heavy rainfall, flash flooding and strong winds to southeast Queensland and the north coast of NSW. It was downgraded to an ex-cyclone on March 8 and recovery efforts began shortly after.
Rio Tinto has had to endure multiple severe weather events in 2025.
The major miner’s Queensland operations were impacted by heavy flooding in mid-February. Rio Tinto donated $750,000 to support flood relief efforts provided by the Queensland Flying Doctors Service and the Queensland Red Cross not too long after.
Rio Tinto’s Western Australian operations were similarly impacted by wild weather in January when Tropical Cyclone Sean made itself known along the Pilbara coastline. The company has since restarted operations at its East Intercourse Island (EII) facility at Dampier Port.
Rio Tinto said in its 2024 full-year results that Dampier and Cape Lambert Ports were also impacted by Tropical Cyclone Tahlia, Tropical Cyclone Vince, and Tropical Cyclone Zelia.
The total loss of iron ore shipments due to these four cyclones is estimated at 13 million tonnes year-to-date.
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