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Aborigines halt Rio Tinto project

By Jason Nissé

15 September 2002 - Mining giant Rio Tinto has indicated it is about to abandon plans to develop a giant uranium mine in northern Australia in the teeth of opposition from the local Aboriginal people.

However, the move will not avert a full- scale senate investigation into uranium mining in Australia, which will focus heavily on Rio Tinto's activities.

Rio Tinto had been hoping to develop the Jabiluka mine in Australia's Northern Territories, which is based a couple of miles from its existing Ranger mine, one of the largest uranium-producing facilities in the world. It acquired the projects when it bought a rival miner, North, for £1.1bn two years ago.

The Jabiluka development is in the middle of a national park called Kakadu, which is occupied by an Aboriginal group called the Mirrar people. Rio Tinto bored a 1.2km underground tunnel between Ranger and Jabiluka, despite court action taken out by the Mirrar people to stop it. They have been protesting for more than five years against the development, taking their cause to the Australian senate, top cricket matches and the Johannesburg summit on sustainable development.

At a meeting during the summit, Rio Tinto's chairman, Sir Robert Wilson, said that there would be "no development of that project without the consent of the traditional landowners, the Mirrar people. We won't develop it without their consent, full stop."

In response to Sir Robert's comments, Yvonne Margarula, the senior traditional owner of the Mirrar people, said: "I'm not going to agree to the development of the mine, for whatever reason they want from it, money or whatever else. I'm not going to allow them to destroy any more of my land." Ms Margarula's comments need to be ratified by a land commission, but as she is the effective head of her community, this is being seen as the last word on the matter.

Rio Tinto said it had no plans to develop Jabiluka, not least because of weak uranium prices. But the Mirrar opposition indicates there is no chance of developing the mine at all, and Rio Tinto will come under pressure to end the care and maintenance operation on the site and return it to its natural state.

The protests over Jabiluka have prompted the senate to start an investigation into uranium miningin Australia at the end of this month. One major issue will be pollution from the Ranger mine, which is pumping out about a litre of contaminated water a second.

Rio Tinto, through its majority owned subsidiary Energy Resources of Australia, operates two other uranium mines, Honeymoon and Beverley in South Australia.

Clip from The Independent

Mirrar people pleased about Jabiluka win

The Mirrar protest outside the mine, 1997

PM - Thursday, September 5, 2002 - MARK COLVIN: Rio Tinto's announcement that it will close the Jabiluka Uranium Mine in the Northern Territory if it doesn't get the support of the traditional owners, represents a remarkable blow against a big corporation.

The Mirrar Aboriginal people were united in their opposition, and the controversial site now seems certain to close.

A representative of the Mirrar people, Justin O'Brien, spoke to Nance Haxton about the importance of their victory.

JUSTIN O'BRIEN: This is quite a significant development in what is a 25 to 30 year struggle for the realisation of meaningful land rights here in Kakadu, but it is a significant development given that for a long time now, the senior traditional owner Yvonne Margarula, has disputed the veracity of the 1982 Jabiluka Agreement; and to have Rio Tinto move at least some of the way to rehabilitating Jabiluka is a big step.

NANCE HAXTON: Do you think this decision could give encouragement to other Aboriginal groups throughout the country, who are also struggling against mines that they don’t want on their traditional land?

JUSTIN O'BRIEN: I think it does, and hopefully it also sends a signal to the corporate world that significant international kudos can be gained by simply doing the right thing by the traditional owners of the country by which they have their operations.

NANCE HAXTON: What about the future of Ranger, obviously it's only 30 kilometres down the road from Jabiluka; does that concern the Mirrar people that that mine still has probably another 10 years of production left?

JUSTIN O'BRIEN: It does. The Ranger, events of the Ranger Mine precipitated a Senate inquiry that commences in four weeks into environmental monitoring and reporting at Ranger in Jabiluka; so it's an ever-present worry, the environmental management and indeed mismanagement of the Ranger Mine.

However, we believe that with this senate inquiry and with the new mood that Rio Tinto has brought with them in acquiring the company ERA in August 2000, that we're hoping that we can get some meaningful outcomes to better protect Kakadu.

NANCE HAXTON: Despite the ongoing nature of the Ranger Mine, that doesn’t take away from the significance of this decision with Jabiluka?

JUSTIN O'BRIEN: It doesn't detract from the decision at Jabiluka, it's a major win not just for protecting country from environmental mismanagement, but also the cultural component.

It's an acknowledged, internationally acknowledged now that cultural rights are human rights, the right to practice your cultural right is a human right, and that's been denied the Mirrar people, since the Jabiluka lease was issued in 1982.

At least now there is a growing glimmer of hope that traditional owners will have access to these important sites and maintain their cultural life, and indeed protect and make more meaningful the values for which Kakadu National Park was inscribed the world heritage area.

MARK COLVIN: Justin O'Brien, who's been a long-term representative of the Mirrar people, with Nance Haxton.

Clip from ABC Australia

Rio vows to clean up Jabiluka

By Linda McSweeny

5 September 2002 - MINING giant Rio Tinto has vowed to clean up a contaminated part of its Jabiluka uranium mine and shelve plans to develop the area at Kakadu.

The company's chairman, Sir Robert Wilson lifted hopes of the traditional owners, the Mirrar people, by announcing rehabilitation of a part of the mine containing contaminated water.

The Mirrar people want discussions with the company and governments to begin immediately to remedy the damage.

Sir Robert has told the BBC the area would be rehabilitated and no work would be undertaken on the site without the consent of the traditional owners.

The company acquired the mine two years ago but announced within months there would be no development without traditional consent, a statement repeated this year.

Until now the Mirrar people understood work could be undertaken within a decade despite their protests.

"I am saying we won't develop it without their consent. Full stop," Sir Robert told BBC.

Sir Robert disputed suggestions sacred sites had been desecrated but said what he termed a tiny hole, or adit, would be rehabilitated.

"There is on this projected site no more than a tiny - a tiny - hole, an adit, in technical terms, an adit of the development," Sir Robert said.

"What we will do is to rehabilitate that area, we will block off the adit, but this is not a very large area, nor is it in any way a threat to the environment."

Gundjehmi Aboriginal Corporation, which represents the Mirrar people, said Rio Tinto had not contacted them regarding the latest comments, made a week ago.

"Is this just rhetoric for the sake of the earth summit at Johannesburg, or are they deadly serious about talking to all stakeholders and governments about putting these words into action and rehabilitating the area once and for all?" executive officer Andy Ralph said.

Rehabilitation would focus on a one-kilometre deep hole in the ground pumping contaminated water.

One litre of uranium-contaminated water was being pumped to the surface every minute, every hour, from the hole in the ground, he said.

Traditional owner, Yvonne Margarula said her mind was firmly set and no consent would ever be given to mine the site.

Australian Conservation Foundation campaigner, Dave Sweeney said Rio Tinto must clean up the mess.

"We are calling on Rio to do that and to enter a process with the Territory and Commonwealth governments and the traditional owners that is going to deliver the result which will ultimately ensure the permanent removal of the threat to Jabiluka," he said.

"And that means folding the Jabiluka mineral lease into the jurisdiction of the Kakadu National Park."

Australian Democrats nuclear spokeswoman, Lyn Allison, who will next month chair a Senate inquiry into uranium mining, said the rehabilitation plan must be developed.

"Rio Tinto must now develop a rehabilitation plan that is acceptable to the traditional owners," she said.

Clip from The Australian

Aborigines want Jabiluka written off

5 December 2002 - The Mirrar People of Kakadu National Park are demanding written confirmation the Jabiluka Uranium Mine will not go ahead.

The mine's majority stakeholder, Rio Tinto, has said this year that there will be no development of Jabiluka without consent from traditional owners.

Andy Ralph from the Gundjehmi Aboriginal Corporation, which represents the Mirrar people, says they want more than empty rhetoric.

"Every day the Mirrar wake up and they still have this Jabiluka mine hanging over their heads. They need some certainty in their lives," he said.

"That's why we are asking the NLC to act on their behalf to negotiate an agreement in writing which will protect their interests."

Mining company Energy Resources Australia says it has discussed the request with the Gundjehmi corporation.

The company says the matter will be discussed further during current talks with the corporation, the Northern Land Council and the Territory Government about the long-term care of the site.

A spokesman says the miner has stated repeatedly it will not develop Jabiluka without the support of traditional owners.

Source:ABC

Further information: jabiluka issues page - includes news index and external links