Western Australia communities

Our iron ore operations and projects in Western Australia are located on land and waters that have belonged to Indigenous Australians for thousands of years. We respect their ongoing deep connection to Country and recognise the vast knowledge Indigenous Australians have of the land, water and environment. In Western Australia we operate on Banjima Gija Kariyarra Malgnin Mardudhunera Marlinyu Ghoorlie Martu, Miriwoong Muntulgura Guruma, Ngadju Ngarlawangga, Ngarla, Ngarluma, Nharnuwangga, Wajarri and Ngarlawangga Nyangumarta, Nyiyaparli, Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura, Robe River Kuruma, Wadandi Bibbulmun, Whadjuk (Noongar), Wong-Goo-Tt-Oo, Wularr, Yaburara, Yawuru Yindjibarndi and Yinhawangka Country.

We pay our respects to Elders, both past and present, and further acknowledge the important role that Indigenous Australians continue to play within our business and communities.

By working together with our community partners, we strive to make a lasting positive impact with the people and communities where we operate and where our employees live and work.

Cultural heritage in the Pilbara

Our Pilbara iron ore operations are on or near land that is significant to Indigenous groups, including Traditional Owners. We recognise the cultural, spiritual and physical connections that Traditional Owners have with the land, water, plants and animals across Western Australia.

We consider both tangible and intangible cultural values as part of cultural heritage management.

Our comprehensive cultural heritage management framework focuses on engagement with Traditional Owners through all phases of the mining life cycle – from exploration to operation and closure.

Co-managing Country

We’re changing the way we work with Pilbara Traditional Owner Groups, to embed co-design and co-management practices into our operations, so we can better protect and manage cultural heritage.

Co-management means sharing information early, listening deeply, and making decisions together. This gives Indigenous Peoples a greater level of confidence of how their cultural heritage will be protected. We are more advanced in this journey in areas like the Pilbara, Western Australia.

In May 2025, we reached a landmark Co-Management Agreement with the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) People. This agreement provides the PKKP People certainty that significant places on PKKP Country will be protected from mining. At the same time, we gain clarity earlier in the mine cycle about where we can develop.

In November 2025, we signed an updated Native Title Agreement with the Nyiyaparli People, to deliver long-term benefits for the Nyiyaparli People and provide Rio Tinto with a clear framework for engaging on mine development on Nyiyaparli Country. The updated agreement features improved cultural heritage and environmental protections, supports earlier and ongoing consultation, and provides greater transparency in decision-making for mining on Nyiyaparli Country.

In December 2025, we signed an Interim Modernised Agreement with the Yinhawangka People, introducing a co-management approach to how we will work together. Yinhawangka will be involved earlier and more meaningfully in mine planning, with both parties working together in making key decisions including in relation to protection and management of cultural heritage and the environment. We will continue working together to finalise a full modernised agreement in 2026.

Caring for Country

We recognise the importance of Pilbara Traditional Owners taking the lead in caring for their Country. We partner with the Pilbara Ranger Network, a collection of 10 Pilbara Traditional Owner Groups, who are keeping their Country, culture and people strong.

Indigenous rangers monitor their local lands and bridge the gap between Traditional knowledge and modern conservation practices.

In addition to the Pilbara Ranger Network, we also partner with Aboriginal Corporations to deliver localised ranger programs, including Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, Karlka Nyiyaparli Aboriginal Corporation, Robe River Kuruma Aboriginal Corporation and Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation.

Building thriving communities

For more than 60 years, we’ve been proud to be part of the Western Australian community. By partnering with host communities, we create lasting benefits – employing local people, engaging local services, buying local products, and investing in strong regional economies. These actions deliver real value for communities and our business.

Our operations support regional towns including Tom Price, Dampier, Paraburdoo, Pannawonica, Karratha and Wickham. Almost one-third of our people live in Albany, Busselton, Perth, Geraldton, Broome and Derby, our fly-in fly-out workforce plays a vital role in sustaining the vibrancy of regional Western Australia.

We’re proud of our partnerships we’ve built across the state, working together to create opportunities and outcomes for everyone. Whether you’re a local supplier, a community member, a grassroots organisation or a government partner, our mission is to deliver positive, long-lasting impact.

Applying for Rio Tinto Community Giving

The Community Giving program invites local grass-roots organisations to apply for up to $5,000 to support Western Australian communities where we work and live, including those neighbouring our operations and regional FIFO communities.

Organisations are encouraged to apply for funding through our social investment program by filling out the form below and sending it to ciwa@riotinto.com.

Western Australia communities downloads

Tom Price & Paraburdoo PFAS Assessments - Frequently Asked Questions

PDF

1.18 MB

Western Australia Community Giving Guideline and Application Form

PDF

110 KB

Native Title Agreements with Pilbara Traditional Owners

We were the first mining company in Australia to embrace Native Title to form agreements with Traditional Owners.

We’re actively working with Pilbara Traditional Owner groups to improve our agreements and make sure they reflect modern expectations for partnership, including co-management practices and stronger cultural heritage and environmental protections.

Colours of our Country
Local Voices
Employees in the community
Fly-In, Fly-Out employment
Indigenous Employment
Indigenous Scholarship and Cadetship Programs

Colours of our Country

The Pilbara has a rich history and a vibrant artistic heart. The land and its Traditional Owners hold generations of stories, ceremony and culture.

Since 2006, the Colours of our Country exhibition has provided people in Perth with a small snapshot of these stories and customs – 1,500 kilometres away from the magnificent landscapes that influence so many of the works on show.

In 2025, a special 20th anniversary celebration of the exhibition took a curated selection of art from Western Australia’s Pilbara region on tour to London in the United Kingdom and Busselton in Western Australia.

Artwork can be purchased in person or online, with 100% of all proceeds going directly to the artists, art centres and their communities.

Since its inception, nearly 3,100 artworks have been sold, generating more than $3.4 million for local artists, their art groups and communities.

Local Voices

Our Local Voices community perceptions survey program helps us understand what matters most to local communities so we can make informed decisions, better manage our impacts and strengthen relationships across Western Australia.

Confidential online surveys are run by an independent research partner twice a year in the Pilbara and once a year in regions where we provide FIFO employment opportunities, including the South West, Mid West, Great Southern and Broome.

Community feedback helps inform our decision-making, planning and investment. By listening and responding, we aim to build trust over time. Since the program started, community feedback has helped to:

Better understand community concerns about environmental impacts in the Pilbara
Focus our economic contribution on local and regional prosperity across WA
Increase support for health, medical services and childcare in the Pilbara
Invest in targeted training, education and employment programs across WA

For every Local Voices survey completed, a donation is made to a local non-profit community group. Since the current survey cycle began in late 2021, almost $50,000 has been donated to local community groups through the program.

For more information, to view the results, register your community group or to sign up to take part, visit the Local Voices website.

Employees in the Community

Our employees are passionate about giving back to their communities and we support that passion through programs that reward them for their volunteer time, matching employee fundraising and encouraging participation in community and fundraising activities.

Fly-In, Fly-Out Employment

Our fly in-fly out (FIFO) program continues to deliver significant economic benefits for regional towns in Western Australia through stable employment and more spending with local businesses.

We support a vibrant regional Western Australia not only through providing local jobs, but also through the enduring support we provide to local schools, local governments and community organisations.

This regional workforce makes up 32% of our total FIFO workforce, with employees commuting from the Kimberley, Gascoyne, Mid West, Goldfields, South West and Great Southern regions.

Indigenous Employment

We’re focused on developing our current Indigenous employees and attracting new Indigenous talent into professional and leadership roles. This is key to ensuring stronger representation of Indigenous voices at our decision-making tables. Through internal promotion and recruitment, we’ve increased the number of Australian Indigenous leaders in our business.

Indigenous Scholarship and Cadetship Programs

Our Indigenous scholarship program is part of a shared commitment with signatory Traditional Owner groups in the Pilbara to support Indigenous students who are studying at university in Australia. We prioritise students from Traditional Owner groups who are a member of the Regional Framework Deed. Scholarship recipients have the opportunity to progress to employment through our vacation and graduate programs.