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AFP
Juukan Gorge Cave Site: Top – for Mining (June 2, 2013); Bottom: Flat for Destruction (May 15, 2020)
Mining giant Rio Tinto has slashed the bonuses of three executives over the destruction of two ancient caves in Australia.
In May, the world’s largest iron ore miner destroyed the sacred Aboriginal sites in Pilbara, Western Australia.
The company went ahead with the destruction of the Juukan Gorge rock caves despite opposition from Aboriginal traditional owners.
They were one of the oldest historic sites in Australia.
The caves showed evidence of sustained human habitation dating back 46,000 years.
Rio Tinto chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques will lose a total of £ 2.7m. Chris Salisbury, chief executive officer of Iron Ore, and Simone Niven, group manager of corporate relations, will now not receive payouts of more than half a million pounds each.
The company, whose shares are listed in both London and Sydney, said it would provide more details about the bonus cuts in its 2020 remuneration report.
- Mining company regrets destroying Aboriginal caves
- Australia’s oldest human remains are at home
The sites sat above about eight million tonnes of high-value iron ore, with an estimated value at the time of £ 75m.
“We will implement significant new measures and governance to ensure that we do not repeat what happened at Juukan Gorge and we will continue our work to build trust with the people of Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura,” said Rio Thinto President Simon Thompson in a statement.
The review found that although the company had gained legal authority for the explosions, the decision fell short of the standards and internal guidance that Rio Tinto had set for itself.
It also found that the company had not dealt well with the people of Puutu Kunti Kurrama (PKKP), the traditional owners of the site.
After the caves were destroyed, a PKKP representative, John Ashburton, said the loss of the site was a “devastating blow”.
“There are less than a handful of well-known Aboriginal sites in Australia that are as old as this … the importance cannot be underestimated,” Reuters quoted him as saying.
“Our people are deeply saddened and saddened by the destruction of these rock crevices and saddened by the loss of connection with our ancestors and our country.”
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Mr. Salisbury apologized for the company’s actions at the time: “We are sorry for the pain we have caused.”
“We pay our respects to the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura People,” he added.
The BBC has contacted the PKKP Aboriginal Corporation for comment on today’s announcement.
