Agreements
Agreement making built on lasting relationships
Our approach
Aboriginal people continue to have an association with the land on which we operate and are important stakeholders in the approval process for any land development proposal.
Our Aboriginal engagement is characterised by:
- developing Aboriginal community agreements
- implementing Aboriginal community development programmes
- managing impacts on Aboriginal cultural heritage
- increasing Aboriginal employment opportunities
- building cross-cultural awareness across the business.
We propose to negotiate with individual native title claim groups about our developments and formalise our agreements through the process of Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUA) under the Native Title Act 1993. Our approach to agreement-making is guided by Rio Tinto's policy on communities, which states, in part, that we set out to build enduring relationships with our neighbours that are characterised by mutual respect, active partnership, and long term commitment. As a result we have developed a relational rather than transactional approach to agreement making.
Our current land use agreement in the Hunter Valley relates to the Mount Pleasant Agreement with the Wonnarua People.
Each agreement is unique. It is legally binding and has immediate and long term obligations.
Agreements provide for a financial contribution to the Aboriginal community, but are more than a commercial contract. The intent is to formalise and structure a mutually beneficial and constructive working relationship that supports and enables all parties to achieve their vision of the future. Given that the agreement is more about relationship than money, a core aspect of implementation is the systems that support our delivering the intent of the agreement.
Implementing the agreements is an important part of our business, enabling us to progress statutory processes for the granting of tenure and heritage approvals before mining activities commence.