Rio signs historic co-management agreement

Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) and the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) Aboriginal Corporation have signed a co-management agreement to support a partnership built on genuine equity.

The agreement is the overarching framework for Rio Tinto’s iron ore operations on PKKP Country and regulates how both parties will collaborate on proposals affecting heritage and social surroundings throughout the mine lifecycle.

It is designed to provide certainty to the PKKP for the protection and management of their heritage and give Rio Tinto certainty for its operations and development.

PKKP Aboriginal Corporation chairperson and Pinikura Traditional Owner Terry Drage comments on the agreement.

“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,” he said.

“Ultimately, this is good for us as Traditional Owners, and it is good for business.”

The agreement will secure the preservation and co-management of significant heritage by ensuring that knowledge-sharing and joint design is at the centre of Rio’s operations on Country.

Rio Tinto iron ore chief executive Simon Trott says the Juukan Gorge incident profoundly changed the company.

“We failed to uphold our company values, and our systems and processes were inadequate,” he said.

“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.”

The co-management agreement includes commitments for both parties to work together earlier in the development process and continue throughout all stages of mining and past closure.

PKKP Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Grant Wilson says the agreement is groundbreaking and innovative.

“I believe it will change the way mining is carried out, certainly in the Pilbara, and hopefully across Australia,” he said.

“The PKKP community have made it clear to me that they are not against mining, it just has to be undertaken in a culturally sensitive way, with Traditional Owners at the forefront.”