Cultural heritage
Hamersley Iron's Aboriginal Training and Liaison (ATAL) department has an extensive indigenous cultural heritage programme. It covers both Hamersley and Robe River has activities within the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
The primary focus of the heritage programme is the conduct of heritage surveys (both anthropological and archaeological) prior to any new projects, including exploration/evaluation drilling programmes, mine extensions, construction of infrastructure and any other ground disturbing works. All of the heritage work undertaken is conducted with the full involvement of the traditional Aboriginal owners and to standards well above those required by legislation and government bodies. The ATAL unit is recognised nationally in Australia for setting the standard for best practice in cultural heritage management within the mining industry.
The scope of the heritage programme is much wider than survey facilitation; the department has a fully integrated geographical information system (GIS), incorporating mapping, sites database, electronic reports and photographs in one system. The heritage programme also incorporates heritage site condition auditing, assisting with the establishment of keeping places for salvaged artefacts, delivering an accredited archaeological assistants training course (developed in house at ATAL) to indigenous community members, support for and assistance with ethnographic recording programmes and other cultural heritage assistance.
Hamersley's port facilities at Dampier are currently being expanded on the Burrup Peninsula, a world-renowned rock art province. Hamersley has thus committed, and recently commenced, a lease heritage site recording programme, incorporating the monitoring of dust impacts on the rock art, and the development of a comprehensive management plan. Dampier Salt's operations at Dampier will also be incorporated into this project.
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