Australian copper miner Sandfire says damaged Aboriginal cultural heritage (updated)

Sandfire Resources America

30/11/2023 06:50

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      Miner says damage occurred in 2017, 2018
    

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      Yugunga-Nya people want government to prosecute miner
    

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      Western Australia has rolled back heritage protection
    

  
 (Adds comment from traditional owners, regulator)
    By Melanie Burton
       MELBOURNE, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Global miner Sandfire
 SFR.AX  said on Thursday it had damaged Aboriginal cultural
heritage at a copper mine in Western Australia, and that it had
informed the traditional owners and the state's heritage
regulator. 
    Damage to an artefact scatter at the operations occurred in
2017 and 2018 due to a series of process failures during the
mine's construction, Sandfire said in a statement to the
Australian stock exchange on Thursday.  
    "Sandfire prides itself on being a values based organisation
and we are extremely sorry to have disturbed artefact scatter
within the Monty mining lease during construction and mining
activities," Chief Executive Brendan Harris said.      
    "Our local communities are of critical importance to us and
we will work hard to rebuild our relationship with the
Traditional Owners."
    Sandfire is winding down its DeGrussa copper operations, 900
kilometres (559 miles) north east of Perth, but produces copper
in Spain and is developing projects in Botswana and the U.S.
state of Montana. 
    Its statement comes as investors and automakers are
increasingly scrutinising human rights and heritage protection
in their assessments of Australian mines, even as Western
Australia overturned Aboriginal cultural heritage protection
laws earlier this year due to opposition from landowners.
    Sandfire waited a year to tell the Yugunga-Nya people about
the destruction of their sites, the Yugunga-Nya Native Title
Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC said in a statement.
    "We want the government to bring Sandfire to court for
destroying our heritage," Elder Andrew Gentle said.  "Their
actions show they have no respect for Aboriginal people or
Aboriginal heritage." 
     "Other miners may now consider doing the same thing as
Sandfire... This cannot be allowed to happen in the 21st
century," he added.
     The group said it was yet to receive a response from
Sandfire, despite requesting to meet its board over the
incident.
    The state heritage regulator said it had recently received
Sandfire's notification regarding possible impact to Aboriginal
heritage and that it would liaise with the company and
representatives of the Yugunga-Nya community.
    "The State Government takes matters involving Aboriginal
Heritage very seriously," it said in a comment to Reuters.
    Sandfire did not immediately respond to a Reuters request
for comment about the statements by the heritage regulator and
the RNTBC. 

 (Reporting by Melanie Burton; Editing by Miral Fahmy)
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