Juukan Gorge owners moving to mine co-management with Fortescue
Traditional owners hit hard by Rio Tinto’s destruction of Juukan Gorge have signed an agreement with Fortescue Metals Group that opens the door to co-management of mine planning, closure and rehabilitation.
The PKKP Aboriginal Corporation said the memorandum of understanding with Fortescue would guide development of the co-management model around iron ore mining and other current and future projects on Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura country.
Corporation chairman Terry Drage said the PKKP believed co-management to be the strongest mechanism to protect the rights, interests, culture, tradition and way of life of the PKKP people when it came to mining.
“The model we are negotiating ensures respect, open communication and involvement for the PKKP in all stages of projects while setting out the expectations and responsibilities for both Fortescue and our corporation as the representative body,” he said.
“We understand the importance of certainty of mining outcomes for Fortescue, equally for the PKKP, we need certainty of protection for our cultural heritage, our strong and active role in ensuring that occurs, plus guaranteed access to our country. These are just some of the key points that reflect true co-management.”
Mr Drage said the signing on land where the PKKP have official native title status during NAIDOC Week was of great significance to the PKKP community.
The PKKP were rocked by Rio’s destruction of 46,000-year-old rock shelters at Juukan Gorge in May 2020 in an incident that caused outrage around the world and sparked a rewrite of West Australian laws aimed at protecting Aboriginal heritage.
Rio has worked hard to rebuild its relationship with the PKKP and the two groups are also working on a co-management
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