Rio Tinto marks 8 billion tonnes Pilbara milestone with extended Acknowledgement of Country

The global mining company has marked the shipment of 8 billion tonnes of iron ore from the Pilbara over 60 years of operations, with the milestone shipment departing Cape Lambert port bound for Nippon Steel Corporation in Japan, accompanied by what executives described as one of the longest and most heartfelt Acknowledgements of Country ever delivered at a corporate function. Rio Tinto

In remarks to executives, customers and selected media, a senior operations representative paid respect to Traditional Owners past, present and emerging, paused thoughtfully, and then announced that the next 8 billion tonnes was expected to take approximately half as long.

“We are deeply honoured to operate on the lands of multiple Traditional Owner groups across the Pilbara,” the representative said. “Our commitment to respectful relationships is reflected in everything we do, including the volume of material we remove from the ground we are acknowledging.”

The company confirmed that the 60-year extraction milestone had been achieved while maintaining the company’s social licence, which is reviewed annually by the company that holds the social licence.

A community engagement official noted that, in keeping with industry best practice, the company had updated its Acknowledgement of Country wording three times during the 60-year period and was considering a further update for the next anniversary.

Asked whether any of the 8 billion tonnes had been the subject of unresolved heritage objections, the official said the question was outside the scope of the milestone announcement and referred enquiries to a future report.