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☆ Rio Tinto Says No Damage to Aboriginal Rock Shelter Structure From Aug. 6 Blast
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Global miner Rio Tinto has found no damage to the structure of a rock shelter at an Aboriginal heritage site in Western Australia that was impacted by blasting at its Nammuldi iron ore operations, it said after a visit over the weekend. Rio Tinto employees and representatives from the Muntulgura Guruma people visited the site last weekend, where a blast on Aug. 6 led to the fall of a Pilbara scrub tree and one square metre of rock from the overhang of a rock shelter estimated to have been inhabited over 40,000-50,000 years. "Assessments found no structural damage to the rock shelter itself, and no damage to cultural materials," Cecile Thaxter, Rio Tinto Iron Ore Vice President said in a webcast on Monday. Rio's destruction of rock shelters at Juukan Gorge in 2020 prompted a global outcry, the departure of top executives and a parliamentary enquiry that recommended an overhaul of Australia's Aboriginal heritage protection laws. Nevertheless, Western Australia is set to overturn its 2021 Aboriginal cultural heritage protection laws, introduced on July 1 after the destruction of the Juukan Gorge shelters.

Persons: Cecile Thaxter, Wintawari, Rio, Melanie Burton, Sonali Paul Organizations: MELBOURNE, Rio Tinto, Tinto, Rio Tinto Iron Ore, Aboriginal Corporation Locations: Western Australia, Rio

☆ Aboriginal elders suspend Rio Tinto site survey over heritage concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Melanie Burton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A combination image shows the Nammuldi rock shelter before (L) and after a mine blast by Rio Tinto in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, August 6, 2023. "Assessments found no structural damage to the rock shelter itself, and no damage to cultural materials," Cecile Thaxter, a Rio Tinto vice president, said in a webcast on Monday. A Rio Tinto spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The dispute comes as investors and automakers are increasingly scrutinising human rights and heritage protection in their assessments of Australian mines. However, Western Australia is set to overturn its 2021 Aboriginal cultural heritage protection laws, introduced on July 1, due to opposition from landowners.

Persons: Cecile Thaxter, Muntulgura, Dawn Hughes, Rio, Hughes, Melanie Burton, Sonali Paul Organizations: Rio Tinto, REUTERS, Rights, Aboriginal Corporation, Reuters, Tinto, Thomson Locations: Rio, Pilbara, Western Australia, Rio Tinto

☆ Rio’s latest rock shelter damage highlights need for Aboriginal Voice, advocates say
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Melanie Burton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Rio's destruction of rock shelters at Juukan Gorge in 2020 prompted a global outcry, the departure of top executives and a parliamentary enquiry that recommended an overhaul of Australia's Aboriginal heritage protection laws. Reaction to the incident has been more muted compared to the outrage over the Juukan Gorge rock shelters so far. VOICE FOR HERITAGELooming over the incident is Australia’s upcoming Indigenous Voice referendum set for Oct. 14 that would create a panel to advise parliament on issues affecting the Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islands communities. "It's hard to think of a more compelling practical example of the need for an Indigenous Voice in the mining policy debate," he said. A spokesperson for the state department regulating Aboriginal heritage protection said it was in contact with Rio Tinto but it was not investigating the latest incident.

Persons: Rio, Simon Trott, Warren Entsch, Rio shouldn't, Morgan Stanley, James Fitzgerald, Jamie Lowe, WGAC, Melanie Burton, Lincoln Organizations: Rio Tinto, REUTERS Acquire, Aboriginal Corporation, ABC, Reuters, Aboriginal, Torres Straits, Australasian Centre, Corporate, Indigenous, Title, Guruma Aboriginal Corporation, Thomson Locations: Rio, Pilbara, Western Australia, MELBOURNE, Western Australia’s, Juukan

☆ Rio’s Latest Rock Shelter Damage Highlights Need for Aboriginal Voice, Advocates Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

By Melanie BurtonMELBOURNE (Reuters) - Damage caused to an Aboriginal rock shelter by mining giant Rio Tinto in August underscores the need for better heritage protection laws and a greater say for Indigenous groups promised in this month's Voice referendum, advocates say. Rio's destruction of rock shelters at Juukan Gorge in 2020 prompted a global outcry, the departure of top executives and a parliamentary enquiry that recommended an overhaul of Australia's Aboriginal heritage protection laws. "Regrettably, it seems as though Rio's blast management plan has failed on this occasion leaving the Muntulgura Guruma People to pick up the pieces," said Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation (WGAC), which represents the Muntulgura, in a statement. A spokesperson for the state department regulating Aboriginal heritage protection said it was in contact with Rio Tinto but it was not investigating the latest incident. Should the Department receive a complaint from Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation, it will act immediately to investigate."

Persons: Melanie Burton MELBOURNE, Rio, Simon Trott, Warren Entsch, Rio shouldn't, Morgan Stanley, James Fitzgerald, Jamie Lowe, WGAC, Melanie Burton, Lincoln Organizations: Rio Tinto, Aboriginal Corporation, ABC, Reuters, Aboriginal, Torres Straits, Australasian Centre, Corporate, Indigenous, Title, Guruma Aboriginal Corporation Locations: Rio, Western Australia’s, Juukan, Western Australia

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