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Rio Tinto Limited 2023 AGM
Perth: 4 May 2023
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Meet CareFlight’s Dr Naomi Abdallah
Gove bauxite is shipped internationally as well as domestically to supply Queensland Alumina Limited and Yarwun refineries in Gladstone, Queensland. These refineries produce alumina as feedstock for our Australian aluminium smelting operations and for sale on the international market.
We expect our bauxite mining operations in the Gove Peninsula will cease later this decade and we are doing significant work to support closure of the operation.
As part of the closure activities, in December 2022, the Gumatj clan held a Welcome to Country onsite at our Aluminium Refinery for its demolition. The Bungul, a ceremony of music, song and dance from the Gumatj people, told a story of the land and the significance of this project.
The Gove Alumina refinery’s history is unique and personal to many employees and local community members. The first day of production took place in 1972, and at the time all eyes were on the small town of Nhulunbuy. But the history of the land where the operation is established has stories, memories and song lines that go back multiple generations.
Closure is a significant investment, which we must get right to ensure economic development and opportunities to the local community. We are committed to continuing to work in deep partnership with the Traditional Owners. We share in and support their vision to see the local region rejuvenated so that it becomes a place to share the rich culture, and a business and services hub for all of Arnhem Land.
- Kellie Parker, Rio Tinto Australia Chief Executive
The refinery demolition lead by Liberty Industrial is one of the largest demolition projects in Australia, taking approximately ten 10 years to complete with ongoing environmental monitoring.
Rio Tinto Gove Operations has been recognised at the 2018 Chief Minister’s Northern Territory Export and Industry Awards for its achievements as a world-class producer of bauxite to the global aluminium industry.
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Rio Tinto has pledged A$500,000 to CareFlight Northern Operations to support emergency aeromedical care in the Northern Territory as part of a A$1.1 million commitment to support East Arnhem communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The contribution underlines Rio Tinto’s commitment to the health and wellbeing of the region and to provide resources to combat the effects of
Rio Tinto continues to take a stand against family and domestic violence in its communities with support of a national anti-violence conference in Yirrkala, Northeast Arnhem Land this week.
We consult with Traditional Owners and other stakeholders about opportunities beyond the life of our operations in the region.
As part of our engagement with Traditional Owners in preparation for closure, we use technology to illustrate future rehabilitation processes and give insight into how the land may look in the future. This gives Traditional Owners the opportunity to see their future aspirations and share their feedback with us.
Our Gove site has been supporting local communities on the Gove Peninsula for more than 40 years. As one of the largest employers in the region, our local sponsorships and donations program provides financial and in-kind investments that enrich the region and maintain the community’s unique vibrancy.
Some of these projects include our decade-long sponsorship of the Yothu Yindu Foundation’s Garma Festival, and, for more than 30 years, our ongoing support of the Nhulunbuy Community Beach Volleyball Competition.
Our Gove site has a funding programme currently available for not for profit groups.
Our sponsorship and donations program offers support to community and not for profit groups through the provision of financial and in-kind contributions for activities that enhance the livability and community vibrancy across the Gove Peninsula. This program runs year-round.
We know our operations can have far-reaching impacts on society
The Indigenous people of North East Arnhem land, the Yolngu, have lived in the region for more than 65,000 years and practise one of the longest living traditional cultures in the world.
Our Gove site – including the township of Nhulunbuy – is located on Aboriginal land. We acknowledge the significant value Yolngu place on their heritage and Country, and work in partnership with them throughout the mining process to manage this. We manage cultural heritage and sacred sites as legislated by the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority (AAPA).
Our lease areas contain a wide range of cultural heritage features and values. They can be tangible, such as landscapes and artefacts, and intangible, such as language, music and customary practice. All heritage features and values are considered as being of equal value. If a site or an object is identified as significant, it is protected from mining.
For example, in 2022, 111 hectares of land were surveyed across the Gove mining lease with the Gumatj and Rirratjingu Traditional Owners to protect and preserve sites and story places.
In 2011 we signed the Gove Traditional Owners Agreement with the Gumatj, Rirratjingu and Galpu Traditional Owners. We are the first operator in the region to sign an agreement with Traditional Owners.
The historic agreement provides mutual benefits including economic development, employment and training, land and environmental management, financial benefits, protection of cultural and significant sites and contracting business opportunities.
Supporting Yolngu business development forms an integral part of the Gove Traditional Owners Agreement. As the planned closure of the Gove Alumina Refinery and Residue Disposal Area progresses, our focus is to provide opportunities directly and indirectly to local and Indigenous businesses in the East Arnhem region. We do this through local procurement, partnerships and training.
Our operations are located on Indigenous-owned land and, in 2018, we became a customer of the Gulkula mine – Australia’s first 100% Indigenous run and owned bauxite mine, wholly owned by the Gumatj clan. We buy bauxite from Gulkula and export it nationally and internationally through our port. In May 2018, senior Traditional Owners of the Gumatj clan witnessed the first shipment of their bauxite to China from Rio Tinto’s export wharf at Gove.
In addition, adjacent to the mine, the Gumatj Corporation has established the Gulkula Regional Training Centre with funding support from Rio Tinto, and the Australian and Northern Territory governments, which allows local Indigenous people to receive on-the-job training to build careers in mining and other related industries.
We spend approximately A$50 million each year on a wide a range of goods and services provided by local Indigenous businesses including earthworks and construction, fencing, maintenance, waste management, heritage services and environmental and land rehabilitation services.
We also collaborate with the local communities and an example of this is our work with a Yolngu business to undertake mine rehabilitation. Local Yolngu collect native seed on the mining lease prior to mining, which is then used for the seeding of rehabilitated areas after mining. Each year, the Yolngu collect more than 400 kilograms of native seeds and more than 15,000 native plants are grown in our regeneration nursery. They are then used to rehabilitate around 120 hectares of land.
We also strive to increase local Indigenous employment for local Yolngu people and provide training opportunities to create employment opportunities beyond mining.
We were acutely aware of the challenges that lay ahead for the region following the curtailment of the Gove Alumina Refinery in 2013. In 2014, we partnered with the Northern Territory Government to fund the establishment of the independent not-for-profit company Developing East Arnhem Limited (DEAL), created to drive economic diversification and stimulate new opportunities in the region. Rio Tinto and the Government provided A$2 million each in seed funding.
Access to housing was identified as a key constraint to growth in the town; businesses could not expand because there was not enough affordable rental housing to accommodate new employees. To address this, Rio Tinto provided DEAL with 250 residential properties previously used for refinery workers.
To help create broader employment opportunities, DEAL established an Economic Development Fund to finance business growth projects to deliver sustainable job outcomes for the region.
DEAL’s focus is to link private enterprise, industry, community and government agencies to support economic diversification and growth in the East Arnhem region for the benefit of the regional population. This is achieved through projects across the tourism, health, retail, marine services, education and training, construction and hospitality industries.
1 Melville Bay Road Nhulunbuy NT 0880 Australia
T: 1800 996 508 E: govecommunities@riotinto.com
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As some data privacy laws regulate IP addresses and other information collected through the use of cookies as personal data, Rio Tinto’s processing of such personal data needs to comply with its Data Privacy Standard (see Part 1 of our Privacy Policy), and also applicable data privacy laws.
With the exception of the use of cookies (explained below), Rio Tinto generally does not seek to collect personal data through this website. However if you choose to provide personal data to Rio Tinto through this website (for example, by sending us an email), we will process that personal data to answer your query and if relevant, to manage our business relationship with you or your company. We won't process that personal data for other purposes except where required to meet our legal obligations or otherwise as authorised by law and notified to you.
Part 1 of this Privacy Policy contains the Rio Tinto Data Privacy Standard, which provides an overview of Rio Tinto’s approach to personal data processing. There is additional information in the appendices to the Data Privacy Standard, including information about disclosures, trans-border data transfers, the exercise of data subject rights and how to make complaints or obtain further information relating to Rio Tinto’s processing of your personal data.
If you choose to subscribe to our media releases or other communications, you can unsubscribe at any time (by following the instructions in the email or by contacting us at digital.comms@riotinto.com).
With your consent, our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our site.
A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that we store on your browser or the hard drive of your computer if you agree. Cookies contain information that is transferred to your computer's hard drive.
As some data privacy laws regulate IP addresses and other information collected through the use of cookies as personal data, Rio Tinto’s processing of such personal data needs to comply with its Data Privacy Standard (see Part 1 of this Privacy Policy), and also applicable data privacy laws.
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