Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Ken Wyatt has expressed sadness at the loss of the ancient rock shelters last week when Rio Tinto detonated explosives at a site near Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara.
Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Ken Wyatt has flagged an urgent review into state and federal heritage-protection laws after mining giant Rio Tinto destroyed a 46,000-year-old Aboriginal cave site in Western Australia.
"We are sorry that the recently expressed concerns of the PKKP did not arise through the engagements that have taken place over many years under the agreement that governs our operations on their country," Rio Tinto said in a statement. He said the blasting, which has sparked an international outcry, may form part of the Morrison government's review of federal laws, namely the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, and would also prompt scrutiny of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander Protection Act.
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