Thread by @callapilla

Let's just recap what has happened in the protection/destruction of Aboriginal heritage in the Pilbara in the past few weeks, and the building campaign to speed up the very, very protracted efforts to amend the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 (WA).

A thread.

On 15 May, a group from the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) visited a rock shelter in Juukan Gorge, near Tom Price, where they planned to hold Naidoc celebrations. They saw blast holes drilled in the ground. The site was a mining lease owned by Rio TInto.

Rio Tinto received permission under s.18 of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 (WA) to damage or destroy the site in the expansion of its Brockman 4 mine. Permission was granted in 2013, by then WA Aboriginal affairs minister Peter Collier.

Rio says it began consultation with the PKKP in 2003.

A preliminary dig was conducted in 2008, and the same archeologist went back to do a salvage dig — instigated by Rio — in 2014. That dig discovered it was a very significant site, occupied through the last ice age.

On 19 May, representatives for the PKKP traditional owners met with the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage, which manages the Aboriginal Heritage Act.

They told the department the PKKP had concerns and asked if there was any way to revoke s.18 consent.

The department told them there was no legal way to revoke s.18 consent. After the meeting, the department called Rio Tinto. They did not notify the Aboriginal affairs minister, Ben Wyatt, who is responsible for the act.

The next day, lawyers for the PKKP wrote to federal Indigenous affairs minister, Ken Wyatt. He referred them to the office of Sussan Ley, the environment minister, because the federal heritage legislation is in her portfolio. They did not hear back in time.

Both Ben Wyatt (WA) and Ken Wyatt (Cth) are Yamatji men. They're cousins. It does not appear they spoke about this before the site was destroyed.

On 25 May, the PKKP sent out a press release saying two heritage sites had been destroyed in a mining blast the day before, in an act that had "distressed the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people".

One of the sites destroyed was the 46,000-year-old rock shelter.

The news was reported on 26 May. Guardian, Fairfax, ABC all wrote about it.

Ben Wyatt told journalists he wasn’t aware of the risk to the Juukan site, or its destruction, until Monday.

Overnight, the story went global.

theguardian.com/australia-news…

The destruction of the site was widely criticised, and drew attention to the 48-year-old Aboriginal heritage legislation, which gives traditional owners no appeal rights or even rights of reply.

theguardian.com/australia-news…

On 31 May, Rio Tinto apologised, saying it was "sorry for the distress we have caused" and would review its plans for all other sites in the Juukan Gorge area "As a matter of urgency".

theguardian.com/business/2020/…

On 5 June, Rio Tinto iron ore CEO Chris Salisbury was interviewed by @hamishNews
on RN. The interview went.... badly, for Salisbury.

He said Rio "thought we had a shared understanding with the PKKP about the future of the sites".

theguardian.com/business/2020/…

That interview happened two days after Aberdeen Standard Investments, Rio's 7th largest shareholders, told Ninefax that it was "really saddened and deeply concerned about what happened" and would have questions for the company. theage.com.au/business/compa…

A few days later, on 8 June, the Financial Times reported that Rio Tinto chairman Simon Thompson was going to London to meet with upset shareholders, including top 10 shareholder Legal & General.

ft.com/content/a70841…

On 9 June, Reconciliation Australia severed its partnership with Rio Tinto, saying the destruction of the sites against the wishes of the PKKP was a “breathtaking breach of a respectful relationship”.

theguardian.com/australia-news…

While all this was going on, on 29 May, Ben Wyatt signed a s.18 consent order granting BHP permission to destroy 40 sites of the Banjima people. 86 sites were identified in total.

Lorena Allam and I broke that news on 11 June.
theguardian.com/business/2020/…

Thirteen hours after that story was published, BHP issued what it said was a "clarification" to the statement it had originally provided us.

“We will not disturb the sites identified without further extensive consultation with the Banjima people."

theguardian.com/australia-news…

And the senate voted to hold an inquiry into Rio Tinto's destruction of Juukan Gorge. The motion passed the senate without dissent.

theguardian.com/australia-news…

And that brings us to today.

I was going to do a separate thread bringing together the #DeathsInside stories Lorena, @NickEvershed and I have been writing too but I might do that a bit later, as it will be even longer.

Thanks for reading.