Wednesday, 23 May, 2007

by Anne Barker
PM, ABC Radio

MARK COLVIN: The mining giant Rio Tinto has infuriated traditional owners of the Jabiluka uranium deposit in Kakadu National Park, by suggesting that the mine could reopen one day.

Rio Tinto gave a guarantee nearly four years ago that it would abandon the mine for good, until or unless the Mirrar people gave their consent, something they've never done.

Now a senior company executive has said that Rio Tinto's been deliberately fostering better relations with traditional owners at the nearby Ranger Mine, in the hope of winning a change of heart.

But as Anne Barker reports, the company's statement may have set back any prospects of the mine's opening by years.

(sound of protesters chanting)

ANNE BARKER: The Mirrar people in Kakadu National Park have a long history of opposition to uranium mining at Jabiluka.

PROTESTERS (rapping): Dear Mr Howard, the dear Prime Minister, developments in Kakadu are getting too sinister.

ANNE BARKER: Protests like these were frequent in the 1990s when the mine's owner ERA, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto, won Commonwealth approval to mine the Jabiluka deposit.

PROTESTERS: Solidarity we stand together. Hey! Hey! Hey!

ANNE BARKER: But everything changed four years ago when ERA finally bowed to the Mirrar people's wishes.

In a public display of goodwill, ERA buried 50,000 tonnes of unprocessed ore back down the mineshaft and pledged never to reopen the mine unless or until traditional owners changed their minds.

Now it seems much of that goodwill has begun to unravel, with a senior Rio Tinto executive pre-empting the mine's reopening.

PRESTON CHIARO: The only thing really that prevents us from moving forward on Jabiluka is getting approval from the local traditional owners, the Mirrar people. And so that's been the focus of our efforts recently, is to improve the relationship with the traditional owners, to get them to the point where they're comfortable with saying yes.

ANNE BARKER: Preston Chiaro has admitted Rio Tinto is actively campaigning for a change of heart with some positive results.

For the first time recently, traditional owners have reversed their opposition to working at the nearby Ranger Mine.

And Jabiluka's most staunch opponent, Yvonne Margarula, has attended a series of employment seminars.

At an industry conference in London, Preston Chiaro was confident she'd eventually come round.

PRESTON CHIARO: If we ask the Mirrar people if we can develop Jabiluka by the way, and we get a no answer from them, then the way that the regulations are currently written we have to wait four years before we ask again.

We don't want a four-year delay. So we don't want to ask the question until we're sure that Yvonne will say yes.

But I think I've given you some indication that that relationship with Yvonne is improving, and hopefully we can get her to a yes in the near-term future.

ANNE BARKER: But Rio Tinto's position has infuriated traditional owners.

The organisation representing the Mirrar people, the Gundjeihmi Corporation, says Mr Chiaro's statement has caused extreme distress and will only damage future relations.

In a statement issued today, it said:

STATEMENT EXCERPT (read by actor): Such comments are injurious to that relationship and immediately throw the prospect of future engagement into jeopardy.

ANNE BARKER: And the corporation made clear that the Mirrar people nave no interest in ever agreeing to reopen the Jabiluka mine.

STATEMENT EXCERPT (read by actor): The ultimate goal is for their traditional lands to be finally returned to them for inclusion into the neighbouring Kakadu National Park, a World Heritage area.

ANNE BARKER: This afternoon it was Rio Tinto that appeared to have a change of heart.

Issuing its own statement saying it did not mean to place traditional owners under any pressure and that it understands the Mirrar's opposition to developing Jabiluka is unchanged.

MARK COLVIN: Anne Barker.