Submission template – Juukan Gorge Inquiry

The Australian Government has extended public submissions for the inquiry into the destruction of 46,000 year old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. 

 

Make your own submission via our template below with information on how to submit an inquiry:

[Date]

 

Committee Secretariat

Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia 

PO Box 6021 House

Canberra ACT 2600

E: jscna@aph.gov.au 

 

Re: Submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into the destruction of Indigenous heritage sites at Juukan Gorge (Western Australia)

 

Dear Secretariat & Committee,

[Who are you? – Introduce yourself and advise the committee why you are writing this submission]

 

[Why do you care about this sacred site being destroyed? – Read the information below and tell the Committee why you believe that the destruction of 46,000 year old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia was the wrong decision:

Background information on the destroyed sacred site

After undergoing legal proceedings in late 2020, eight recommendations were handed down to Rio Tinto by the courts. Rio Tinto was ordered to compensate the Traditional Custodians of the gorge – the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and the Pinikura peoples – by reconstructing the site, commiting to a permanent moratorium in the area, removing all gag clauses or restrictions on Traditional Owner rights and negotiating a restitution package.  Rio Tinto also suffered further consequences in the fall-out. Public pressure resulted in casualties to their executive team, with the board driven to sack Chief Executive Officer, Jean-Sebastian Jacques, and two other senior Australian executives.  This is the one of the most public and comprehensive investigations into the desecration of a sacred site, Rio Tinto being the only large mining company to have sacked its CEO for reasons that relate to the cultural violence in Australia.

 

What was found in the sacred caves?

• Rock art 

• Plaited hair (with direct lineage to current Traditional Custodian) 

• Tools and artefacts 

[You are required to reference one or more of the following in your submission:

The destruction of 46,000 year old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia with particular reference to:

(a) the operation of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 (WA) and approvals provided under the Act;

(b) the consultation that Rio Tinto engaged in prior to the destruction of the caves with Indigenous peoples;

(c) the sequence of events and decision-making process undertaken by Rio Tinto that led to the destruction;

(d) the loss or damage to the Traditional Owners, Puutu, Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people, from the destruction of the site;

(e) the heritage and preservation work that has been conducted at the site;

(f) the interaction, of state indigenous heritage regulations with Commonwealth laws;

(g) the effectiveness and adequacy of state and federal laws in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural heritage in each of the Australian jurisdictions;

(h) how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural heritage laws might be improved to guarantee the protection of culturally and historically significant sites;

(i) opportunities to improve indigenous heritage protection through the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999; and

(j) any other related matters.]

Thank you for your time. Kind regards,

[Your name]

[Your contact details]