David Prestipino
A new Rio Tinto mine opening in Western Australia’s iron ore-rich Pilbara region is the company’s first project with a co-designed cultural and heritage management plan.
A Social, Cultural and Heritage Management Plan (SCHMP) co-designed with Yinhawangka Traditional Owners was designed to protect significant cultural and heritage values in the area at Rio Tinto’s Western Range mine in Paraburdoo.
Yinhawangka Aboriginal Corporation board chairwoman Robyn Hayden (née Tommy) said Country meant everything for the Yinhawangka people.
“It holds our spirit, our Law, and our deep responsibility to protect what was passed down to us,” she said.
The Western Range project represents a shift in how cultural heritage was being recognised and respected across the industry.
Rio Tinto on Tuesday signed a landmark Co-Management Agreement with the PKKP Aboriginal Corporation, a continuation of the company’s increased efforts to ensure the preservation of cultural heritage on all its projects following the destruction of a rockshelter at Juukan Gorge in 2020.
The agreement covers all Rio Tinto iron ore operations on Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura Country, with the Corporation saying it gave “much greater say to Traditional Owners over what happens on these lands”.
Late last month once-rival advocates reached rare agreement on proposed new terms for overdue Federal heritage law changes.
Traditional Owners represented by the First Nations Heritage Protection Alliance and the Minerals Council of Australia collaborated for months to reach agreement, which now leaves responsibility for reform firmly with the Albanese government.
Multiple inquiries since Rio Tinto’s devastating – but technically legal – destruction of the sacred cultural site for PKKP communities all found existing Federal cultural heritage protection regimes were not fit for purpose.
Initial responses from governments after Juukan Gorge were strong, but the Alliance and MCA said meaningful engagement with First Nations people by the Commonwealth to co-design new laws had yet to translate to tangible reform.
Ms Hayden said Rio Tinto’s work to enhance its consultation with Traditional Owners and build a stronger, more honest partnership were admirable.
“This is a meaningful beginning – and we stand ready to walk forward together,” she said.
The significance of Rio Tinto’s newest iron ore mine extended to the project’s joint venture aspect with China Baowu Group, a partnership WA Premier Roger Cook and Federal Resources minister Madeleine King both addressed at the opening on Friday.
The $US2 billion joint venture between Rio (54 per cent) and Baowu (46 per cent) was completed on time and on budget and including the construction of a primary crusher, and 18km conveyor system linked to the existing Paraburdoo processing plant.
Western Range has the capacity to produce up to 25 million tonnes of iron ore per year, and could sustain the existing Paraburdoo mining hub for up to 20 years, while giving stability to the town and its 800-plus residents and FIFO employees.
Mr Cook said the new project was significant for its lasting economic effect on WA.
“We will continue to back our resources industry, which is creating quality jobs for Western Australians while helping us maintain the standard of life we all enjoy,” he said at the opening.
Ms King acknowledged the Pilbara as the engine room of the nation’s economy.
“The opening of Western Range is fantastic news for the Pilbara, for Western Australians, for Traditional Owners and for the nation,” she said on Friday.
“Projects like Western Range will keep that engine running for future generations of Australians.”
Rio Tinto and Baowu’s partnership in the Pilbara began with the 2002 Bao-HI JV to develop the Eastern Range deposits in the Hamersley Ranges.
Rio Tinto CEO Jakob Stausholm said he was particularly proud of the work the company had done with the Yinhawangka People to build a trusting relationship and preserve cultural heritage, as well as the partnership with Baowu, its biggest customer.
“They are direct benefits from a consistent, dedicated supply of Rio Tinto’s world leading Pilbara Blend iron ore,” he said.
Iron ore was first processed through the Western Range system in late March this year and Rio Tinto expected to invest more than $13 billion on new mines, plant and equipment in the Pilbara during 2025-2027, after investing approximately $8.5b in the Pilbara from 2022-2024.
Published in The Indigenous Business Review