Juukan Gorge debacle: Rio Tinto admits more dialogue failings

Rio Tinto has admitted communication failings with traditional owners as it tries to heal the deep wounds left by the Juukan Gorge cave blast scandal.

Rio Tinto’s ongoing work to repair its severely damaged relationship with traditional owners after the Juukan Gorge cave blast has taken a step backwards over an executive appointment.

The miner’s detonation of the 46,000-year-old rock shelters to access an estimated $135m worth of iron ore at the Brockman 4 iron ore project in Western Australia’s Pilbara region in May devastated the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people.

It also caused international outrage and sparked a parliamentary inquiry, which handed down interim findings that Rio Tinto made a deliberate decision to choose the only one of four mine expansion options that involved destroying the caves despite having previously recorded their cultural significance.

The blast caused outrage and sparked a rally outside Rio Tinto’s office in Perth. Picture: Richard Wainwright/AAP

The miner was slammed for its initial apology as it was only for causing “distress” to the PKKP, but it later apologised unreservedly and is now on the long road to making amends.

But that has been dealt a blow, with the traditional owners angry to find out Rio Tinto has replaced its interim iron ore chief executive Ivan Vella – who headed up efforts to repair relations after his predecessor Chris Salisbury stepped down over the scandal in September – through media reports and not directly.

They say they were previously told that Mr Vella would personally oversee the relationship and wrote a scathing letter to the mining giant, complaining they had been misled.

“Now PKKP is left to consider how it will respond to this latest in many disappointments, and whether trust in Rio Tinto can ever be realised,” they wrote.

Traditional owners had been told Ivan Vella would personally oversee efforts to repair relations. Picture: Colin Murty/The Australian

“PKKP has shown nothing but good faith, making real and meaningful efforts to repair our relationship, while every action by Rio Tinto to date, including the latest announcement under your leadership, rings hollow,” the letter says.

“PKKP is reluctant to participate in a relationship of this nature any longer, and I hope you understand that other stakeholders may take a similar approach.”

Rio Tinto said on Friday it accepted it should have communicated the executive changes in a more collaborative way.

Juukan Gorge is one of the earliest known sites occupied by Aboriginals in Australia. Picture: PKKP Aboriginal Corporation/AFP

The miner said in a joint statement with the traditional owners: “The PKKP acknowledges that it was not the intention of the Rio Tinto chairman Simon Thompson to mislead the PKKP board and elders at the joint board meeting.

“The joint board meeting remains a seminal event in the relationship rebuild.

“We jointly recognise that in any relationship mistakes are going to be made, and it is how we work through these that informs the strength and depth of the ongoing relationship.”

The controversy claimed three scalps, including the chief executive. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Dan Peled

The statement went on to say both PKKP and Rio Tinto recognised that progress had been made in rebuilding ties and were equally committed to building on the momentum.

“Senior representatives from PKKP and Rio Tinto have had extensive dialogue on these issues, and this will continue in a respectful and direct manner,” it said.

The appointments were made by new Rio Tinto chief executive Jakob Stausholm, who last month took over from Jean Sebastien-Jacques – the biggest scalp claimed by the controversy.

Simon Trott has taken up the iron ore chief executive role permanently.

Originally published as Juukan Gorge debacle: Rio Tinto admits more dialogue failings