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Tony Boyd

Class action skewers Rio Tinto’s Bougainville redemption

A secretive company is disrupting efforts to finally make amends for the environmental devastation caused by its copper mine in Bougainville some 30 years ago.

Tony BoydContributor

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While I admire Rio Tinto for finally setting the wheels in motion to compensate the people of Bougainville for the horrendous damage caused by its Panguna copper mine, I am stunned at the company’s strategic naivety.

Instead of taking control of an issue that has festered since 1989 by making a firm commitment to actually pay the affected residents of Bougainville, Rio chief executive Jakob Stausholm opted for a process that left the question of compensation in limbo.

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Tony Boyd is the former Chanticleer columnist. He has more than 35 years' experience as a finance journalist. Connect with Tony on Twitter. Email Tony at tony.boyd@afr.com

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    Original URL: https://www.afr.com/companies/mining/class-action-skewers-rio-tinto-s-bougainville-redemption-20240901-p5k6vy