Media Release from Federal Labor on Juukan Gorge Inquiry Recommendations

The Labor members of the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia urge the Government to support the recommendations of the final report of its landmark inquiry into the destruction of 46,000-year-old Aboriginal heritage sites at Juukan Gorge.

Rio Tinto’s destruction of the Juukan rock-shelters was a devastating event for our nation and must mark a turning point.

As the Committee’s report has made clear, it was not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of behaviour that has seen the destruction of First Nations heritage across the country.

Legislative reform at the federal level is needed to protect First Nations cultural heritage and provide minimum standards for state and territory frameworks which are currently inconsistent and inadequate.

These reforms must be guided by the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including the principle of free, prior and informed consent. 

Labor members of the Joint Committee have been pleased to note that the mining industry seems prepared to embrace this principle.  But there remains a significant gap between rhetoric and action.

Cultural heritage sites of international importance are presently at serious risk of damage or destruction because laws across the land are weighted against the needs and wishes of First Nations.

Labor notes that the failure of the Morrison-Joyce Government to intervene and protect the rock shelters at Juukan Gorge was the result of inattention within different ministerial and departmental offices.

After the Juukan Gorge disaster, it is no longer tenable for companies and Governments to avoid responsibility. The protection of First Nations cultural heritage is a moral, ethical and economic imperative and the Federal Government must heed the call from the broader community for action.