Rio Tinto has welcomed a discussion paper on cultural heritage protection laws, compiled by the Commonwealth Government and the First Nations Heritage Protection Alliance.
The paper accompanies a national engagement process to modernise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island cultural heritage protections and informs readers about past reviews and current legislative arrangements following Rio’s destruction of Juukan Gorge in 2020.
It outlines a plan to consult with First Nations peak bodies to ensure their inputs into cultural heritage protections are considerable.
Rio Tinto chief executive for Australia Kellie Parker said she recognised the importance of collaboration with First Nations people.
“We firmly believe a co-design process with Traditional Owners will strengthen cultural heritage management and protection to ensure it is valued and celebrated for its intrinsic worth,” Parker said.
“There are and will be differences in views on how this will be best achieved but we will continue to work in close consultation with Traditional Owners and their representative organisations to better understand and protect their cultural heritage and ensure mining is done in the right way.”
The discussion paper follows Rio Tinto’s co-designed management plan with the Yinhawangka Aboriginal Corporation (YAC) in February to ensure protection of significant social and cultural heritage values in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Parker continued to say the company was taking every step to avoid repeating a tainted history.
“Our determination not to repeat the events leading up to the destruction of the Juukan Gorge rock shelters is ingrained in everything we do,” she said.
“Significant changes continue to be made at all levels of our business. While we are hopeful we have put in place the right foundations for a better future, we know we will be judged by our actions and not our words.”
Read the discussion paper, here.