We acknowledge the complaint filed by the Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC) and Bougainville community members in September 2020 with the Australian National Contact Point (AusNCP) in relation to the Panguna mine site in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. The complaint alleges Rio Tinto’s involvement in human rights and environmental harm relating to its stake in the mine site through its former subsidiary Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL). We no longer hold any interest in BCL.
We take this complaint seriously.
We support National Contact Points (NCPs) which help drive implementation of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, a set of guidelines around responsible business conduct. Through non-judicial grievance mechanisms, NCPs also provide conciliation services to resolve complaints against multinational enterprises about alleged breaches of those guidelines at home or abroad. We continue to recognise the role of the AusNCP, housed within the Commonwealth Treasury Department, in providing a forum for different stakeholders to engage.
Whilst we do not wholly accept the claims in the complaint, we are aware of the deteriorating mining infrastructure at the site and surrounding areas, and acknowledge that there are environmental and human rights considerations.
We are ready to enter into discussions with the communities that have filed the complaint, along with other relevant parties such as BCL, the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) and the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Government. We will also engage with the AusNCP as it considers its initial assessment of the complaint.
We are also aware of concerns being raised, in the wake of the Juukan Gorge events, about the Group-wide implementation of our voluntary commitments and policies around environmental, social (including human rights) and governance issues on the ground. We understand these concerns and reiterate our commitment to core international standards, including the OECD Guidelines, and our readiness to meet those commitments in practice.
The train left the station 2015 ;)