Five years after the notorious demolition of the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters, mining giant Rio Tinto is under fire from the Robe River Kuruma Aboriginal Corporation. The group alleges that Rio Tinto has not fulfilled a pivotal promise made in 2020 to update agreements with Aboriginal communities, particularly the 20-year-old contract regarding the Mesa J mine in Western Australia's Pilbara region.

According to Reuters, the Robe River Kuruma Aboriginal Corporation claims that Rio Tinto has neglected to pay royalties for 17 years by excluding Mesa J from its financial arrangements. Despite initial expectations of its imminent closure, Mesa J continues to be Rio Tinto's largest operation on the Robe River Kuruma land, raising significant concerns about financial transparency and community fairness.

In response, Rio Tinto's chair Dominic Barton has acknowledged the need to resolve these issues and stressed the company's commitment to improving relations with Indigenous communities. The Juukan Gorge incident previously sparked substantial backlash, resulting in leadership changes at Rio Tinto and pushing the company to prioritize Aboriginal heritage site protection. However, continued disputes threaten to impact Rio Tinto's operational timelines due to potential delays in heritage clearances and necessary project approvals.