Rio Tinto and the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) Aboriginal Corporation have entered a co-management agreement aimed at building a lasting and trusted partnership.
This agreement serves as the guiding framework for all Rio Tinto iron ore operations on PKKP Country.
It formalises how both parties engage on matters that affect cultural heritage and social values throughout the mining lifecycle.
The agreement ensures that joint design and knowledge-sharing remain central to Rio Tinto’s activities on PKKP land, with the approach aiming to preserve and co-manage significant cultural heritage in alignment with Traditional Owner priorities.
“The effect of this agreement is that PKKP Traditional Owners will receive certainty that our important places on Country will be protected from mining, while at the same time Rio Tinto will receive certainty around where they can develop much earlier in the mine cycle,” PKKP Aboriginal Corporation chairperson and Pinikura Traditional Owner Terry Drage said.
“Ultimately, this is good for us as Traditional Owners, and it is good for business.”
Finalised last month, the agreement offers PKKP certainty around heritage protection and gives Rio Tinto a clear framework for future development.
It also reaffirms Rio Tinto’s commitment to jointly rehabilitate the Juukan Gorge area and preserve its cultural significance.
“The destruction of the Juukan Gorge rock shelters on May 24, 2020 brought immeasurable pain to the PKKP and profoundly changed our company,” Rio Tinto iron ore chief executive Simon Trott said.
“Our actions were wrong. We failed to uphold our company values, and our systems and processes were inadequate. Simply put, it should never have happened, and for that we will forever be sorry.”
“Through the open and gracious sharing of knowledge and experiences, the PKKP have helped to shape a renewed approach to managing cultural heritage protection and mining activities.”
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