Juukan Gorge
This article needs to be updated.(June 2023) |
22°37′3″S 117°9′28″E / 22.61750°S 117.15778°E Juukan Gorge is a
The gorge is known primarily for a cave that was the only inland site in Australia with evidence of continuous human occupation for over 46,000 years, including through the last Ice Age. The cave was permanently destroyed by mining company Rio Tinto in May 2020. Ministerial consent had been given to expand Rio Tinto's mine in 2013 under WA legislation.[2]
Prior to its destruction, the cave in Juukan Gorge was a
Archaeological significance
The archaeological significance of the Juukan Gorge was known at least since 2009, when Slack et al. reported on the "two rock shelters with Aboriginal occupation starting at least 32,000 years ago and extending throughout the Last Glacial period".[3]
Rio Tinto received ministerial consent to mine the site in 2013 in the pursuit of expanding their
PKKP heritage manager Heather Builth told Rio Tinto that the site was one of the "top five" most significant in the whole of the Pilbara region, and
Cave destruction
The cave was ultimately destroyed with explosives along with another
Rio Tinto response
After this aroused widespread international media coverage and public outcry,
A Rio Tinto board internal review under
On 11 September 2020, it was announced that, as a result of the destruction at Juukan Gorge, CEO
Parliamentary inquiry
The "Inquiry into the destruction of 46,000-year-old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia" was referred to the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia on 11 June 2020, to report by 20 September 2020.
Apart from Entsch, the members of the Inquiry were:[22]
- Senator Anthony Chisholm (Deputy Chair)
- Anika Wells MP
- Senator Patrick Dodson
- Senator Rachel Siewert
- Senator Matthew Canavan
- George Christensen MP
- Senator Dean Smith
- Phillip Thompson MP
- Warren Snowdon MP
Submissions
There were 160 submissions received by the committee between June and November 2020.[23] Tanya Butler, who was WA registrar of Aboriginal heritage sites and secretariat of the Aboriginal Cultural Materials Committee (ACMC), was questioned by Warren Entsch during the inquiry. The ACMC is responsible under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 for assessing applications to disturb Aboriginal heritage sites under Section 18 of the Act, but the definition of an Aboriginal site had been changed over the years. Butler said that the ACMC had not been aware of the full significance of the Juukan Gorge sites when it was assessed in 2013.[24]
Submission 152 showed that Rio Tinto had received ministerial consent to damage the site in 2013 under Section 18 in the pursuit of expanding their iron ore mining operations. The PKKP had not objected to the Section 18, despite having taken part to the excavation works in 2009 (see Slack report above[3]).[23]
Interim report (December 2020)
On 9 December 2020, the inquiry published its interim report, entitled Never Again.[22] The report "highlights the disparity in power between Indigenous peoples and industry in the protection of Indigenous heritage, and the serious failings of legislation designed to protect Indigenous heritage and promote Native Title". Seven recommendations were made, including a moratorium on mining in the area and rehabilitation of the site.[25] The report also recommended that compensation should be paid to the traditional owners.[26] It said that the destruction of the caves was "inexcusable", and also called upon mining companies to voluntarily stop acting on existing approvals. While the inquiry and report was bipartisan, there was one dissenting voice with regard to the moratorium; WA Liberal senator Dean Smith was concerned that essential work on infrastructure would be unnecessarily delayed.[27]
The report also recommends that the
After the publication of the report, Senator Pat Dodson tweeted "The destruction of these ancient sites was a disaster for our nation and the world".[29]
The inquiry investigated the failings of state and Commonwealth heritage protection laws, as Rio Tinto's action was technically legal, after they had obtained permission in 2013, under Section 18 of WA's Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 to go ahead with their blasting operations.[26] The process included discussions with Aboriginal people, industry experts, and the larger community.[30] The full report was due to be published in 2021.[29][needs update]
New legislation
In 2021, the
The amended 1972 law came into effect in Western Australia on November 15, 2023. One change is the new statutory Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Committee, with majority aboriginal membership. It will make recommendations to government on “Section 18” decisions regarding aboriginal sites.[34] The first test of the law came in February 2024 with an incident violating the new law, regarding waterways in Shire of Toodyay.[35]
References
- ^ "Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura People Submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia Inquiry into the destruction of 46,000 year old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia". Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Rio Tinto blasts 46,000-year-old Aboriginal site to expand iron ore mine". The Guardian. 26 May 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
- ^ .
This paper describes the results and implications of recent excavations on the Hamersley Iron Brockman 4 tenement, near Tom Price, Western Australia. Results concentrate on two rock shelters with Aboriginal occupation starting at least 32,000 years ago and extending throughout the Last Glacial period. Preliminary observations are proposed concerning the nature of Aboriginal foraging patterns as displayed in the flaked stone and faunal records for the Brockman region
- ^ Jenkins, Keira (5 August 2020). "Rio Tinto tells Senate inquiry it could have avoided Juukan Gorge destruction". NITV. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ a b c Perpitch, Nicolas (23 August 2020). "Rio Tinto executives stripped of bonuses over destruction of Juukan Gorge rock shelters". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ Wahlquist, Calla; Allam, Lorena (4 August 2020). "Rio Tinto blew up Juukan Gorge rock shelters 'to access higher volumes of high-grade ore'". the Guardian. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ a b Michelmore, Karen (7 August 2020). "Rio Tinto didn't tell traditional owners there were options to save ancient Juukan Gorge rock shelters". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ Wahlquist, Calla (18 August 2020). "Juukan Gorge traditional owners 'appalled' by attempted sale of unauthorised photos". the Guardian. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ a b Henderson, Anna (18 August 2020). "Federal MPs get WA border coronavirus exemption to investigate Rio Tinto's Juukan Gorge destruction". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ Hirini, Rangi (17 June 2020). "Rio Tinto responds to allegations they're 'not sorry' for Juukan Gorge destruction". NITV. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ Hopkins, Andrew; Kemp, Deanna; Owen, John (22 June 2020). "How Rio Tinto can ensure its Aboriginal heritage review is transparent and independent". The Conversation. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ Wahlquist, Calla (24 August 2020). "Rio Tinto chiefs lose millions in bonuses over destruction of Juukan Gorge". the Guardian. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ "Rio Tinto publishes board review of cultural heritage management". Rio Tinto. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ Shaimaa Khalil (11 September 2020). "Rio Tinto chief Jean-Sébastien Jacques to quit over Aboriginal cave destruction". BBC News. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
- ^ Chau, David; Janda, Michael (11 September 2020). "Rio Tinto boss Jean-Sebastien Jacques quits over Juukan Gorge blast". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ Fernando, Gavin; Young, Evan; Stayner, Tom (11 September 2020). "Rio Tinto boss and top executives step down following destruction of Aboriginal Juukan Gorge rock shelters". SBS News. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ "Inquiry into Juukan Gorge". Rio Tinto. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ Hopkins, Andrew; Kemp, Deanna (11 September 2020). "Corporate dysfunction on Indigenous affairs: Why heads rolled at Rio Tinto". The Conversation. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ "Rio Tinto chairman quits over Aboriginal site damage in Australia". aljazeera.com. Al Jazeera English. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "Inquiry into the destruction of 46,000 year old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia". Parliament of Australia. 18 June 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ Wahlquist, Calla (7 August 2020). "Rio Tinto did not tell traditional owners blowing up Juukan Gorge site was just one option for mine". the Guardian. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-76092-197-2. PDF
- ^ a b "Submissions [to the Inquiry into the destruction of 46,000 year old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia]. Submission 152". Parliament of Australia. 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
Questions from Mr Snowdon. 18.Mr Snowdon: Do your records show if there was any opposition to the proposal to provide a section 18?... [Ms Butler]: No, the records do not show any opposition to the section 18, rather a number of recommendations as a result of the consultation between the Applicant and the PKKP people.
- ^ Ramsey, Michael (20 November 2020). "Agency blind to WA heritage site removals". The Senior. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
- ^ a b "Never Again". Parliament of Australia. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
- ^ a b Higgins, Isabella (9 December 2020). "Rio Tinto should pay compensation for Juukan Gorge caves blast, inquiry recommends". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
- ^ Wahlquist, Calla; Allam, Lorena (9 December 2020). "Juukan Gorge inquiry: Rio Tinto's decision to blow up Indigenous rock shelters 'inexcusable'". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
- ^ Kemp, Deanna; Owen, John; Barnes, Rodger (9 December 2020). "Juukan Gorge inquiry puts Rio Tinto on notice, but without drastic reforms, it could happen again". The Conversation. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
- ^ a b Cross, Hannah (9 December 2020). "Juukan Gorge inquiry committee says 'never again'". National Indigenous Times. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
- ^ a b Scomazzon, Lucille; Wood, Angela; Duncan-Bible, Tamie (2 June 2023). "The ripple effect of Juukan Gorge is being felt: The new Western Australian Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2021". Maddocks. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- Western Australian Government. 4 July 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ Jose, Lucinda (15 June 2023). "WA government stands firm on the state's new Aboriginal Heritage Act despite calls for delay". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ "Western Australia to scrap new law protecting Aboriginal heritage sites". Al Jazeera. 8 August 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ "Aboriginal Heritage laws: An amended Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 came into effect on 15 November 2023". Government of Western Australia. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ Brennan, Dechlan (13 February 2024). "First test for WA's updated cultural heritage laws". National Indigenous Times. Retrieved 17 April 2024.