Rio Tinto was given permission to blast the Juukan caves under Section 18 of the Aboriginal Heritage Act.(Supplied: Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura Aboriginal Corporation) Rio Tinto was given permission to blast the Juukan caves under Section 18 of the Aboriginal Heritage Act.(Supplied: Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura Aboriginal Corporation)

BHP tells parliamentary inquiry it was granted approval to destroy Aboriginal heritage sites in the Pilbara

Mining giant BHP has conceded it submitted an application to destroy Aboriginal heritage sites at its $5 billion South Flank iron ore project in the Pilbara, despite opposition from local traditional owners.

Key points:

  • A parliamentary inquiry is examining the destruction of Indigenous sites
  • It was prompted by Rio Tinto's decision to blast ancient rock shelters
  • BHP is the second major miner to appear before the inquiry

The WA Government granted approval to destroy dozens of sites just days after Rio Tinto destroyed 46,000-year-old rock shelters at Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara.

BHP is the second major miner to appear at a federal parliamentary inquiry investigating Rio Tinto's destruction of the ancient sites.

BHP on Thursday told the inquiry that representatives of the Banjima traditional owners "raised concerns in the field" ahead of the Section 18 application last October, and also wrote to the WA Government in April saying they were opposed to archaeological sites being damaged.

For the rest of this article please go to source link below.

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By Karen Michelmore / Investigative Journalist and Television Producer

Karen Michelmore is an investigative journalist and television producer. She’s currently a producer on ABC’s Back Roads, on loan from Four Corners, where she worked as a researcher and producer on a number of award-winning programs since joining the ABC in early 2009.

(Source: abc.net.au; September 18, 2020; https://tinyurl.com/yxda88zf)
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