Bougainville community leaders demand seat at the table in remediation discussions with Rio Tinto

Bougainville community leaders are calling for a seat at the table in discussions about the potential remediation of the environmental devastation caused by Rio Tinto’s former Panguna mine, scheduled to begin in Port Moresby today. 
 
Roundtable discussions will be held this week between Rio Tinto, the Bougainville Government and Rio Tinto’s former subsidiary, BCL after a major independent investigation found that the mine is causing life-threatening risks to local communities from collapsing levees and infrastructure, mine-waste pollution and flooding.  

Community leaders from the mine-affected area have welcomed the discussions but have expressed concern about their exclusion from the talks, which are aimed at developing a remedy framework.  

Rio Tinto has not yet committed to funding the long-term solutions and clean-up which communities have been calling for.  

The communities’ calls for representation come as Rio Tinto also faces questions from  investors about the company’s approach to addressing critical risks and engaging effectively with communities in Panguna and elsewhere. 

Theonila Roka Matbob, a traditional landowner and the local Member of Parliament for the area where the mine is located, who spearheaded the human rights complaint against Rio Tinto said: 

“We live with the impacts of the Panguna mine every day. Our rivers are poisoned with copper, our homes get filled with dust from the tailings mounds, our kids get sick from the pollution. 

“Our communities know the solutions that we need so that we can live on our land in safety again and we must have a seat at the table in any discussions about next steps.  

“This entire process came about because of action taken by the communities themselves to raise our voices and bring Rio Tinto back to the table after many years of inaction. Every step of the impact assessment has been overseen by clan chiefs and community leaders who can speak in detail about the problems facing our people and what needs to be done about them. 

“And yet suddenly, just as the process reaches the critical point of discussing possible solutions, we find ourselves shut out of the room. This is not the way to rebuild trust with communities or design lasting solutions.”

Theresa Jaintong OBE, Paramount Chief of the Kurabang Clan and Chairlady of the Siokate Association said:  

“As those responsible for our communities’ wellbeing, we expect to be part of discussions on all key issues affecting us. At the moment, we are in the dark about next steps in this process and what will be done about the impacts and risks we are facing, and which the impact assessment has validated.

"As the landowners and clan chiefs, we need to be involved in the Roundtable discussions to make sure our peoples’ concerns are heard and that can all move forward together towards lasting solutions that benefit our people.” 

Keren Adams, Legal Director at the Human Rights Law Centre said: 

"It is deeply concerning to us that communities have no direct voice in these roundtable talks on remedy. A large part of the trust communities in Panguna have had in the Panguna Mine Legacy Impact Assessment is because, until now, their own leaders have been directly involved in all aspects of the process. 

“Consultation after the event is not the same thing as a seat at the table. Community leaders from the mine-affected areas are the best-placed people to advise on the long-standing problems affecting them and the solutions they need. Their expertise needs to inform the approach to remediation.

“The Human Rights Law Centre will continue working with communities to ensure Rio Tinto takes responsibility for its legacy and commits to funding solutions, with community leaders included at every step in the process.” 

Background: 
Panguna was formerly one of the world’s largest copper and gold mines. During its operation from 1972 to 1989, over a billion tonnes of mine waste was released directly into the Jaba and Kawerong rivers. In 1989, an uprising by local people against this environmental destruction and inequities in the distribution of the mine's profits forced the mine to stop operating and triggered a brutal decade-long civil war. 

No clean-up has ever been undertaken of the site. Rio Tinto remained the majority-owner of the mine until 2016, when it divested and passed its shares to the PNG and Bougainville governments, walking away from the disastrous environmental legacy and its impacts on local people. 

In 2021, Rio Tinto agreed to fund an independent environmental and human rights impact assessment of the mine, in response to a complaint brought by 156 community members, represented by the Human Rights Law Centre. The Panguna Mine Legacy Impact Assessment was the largest study of its kind ever undertaken in Bougainville. It was overseen by a multi-stakeholder Oversight Committee which includes clan and community leaders from the mine-affected areas as well as representatives of the Autonomous Bougainville Government and PNG Government, BCL, Rio Tinto and the Human Rights Law Centre. 

Over 25,000 people live around and downstream of the mine. 

Media contact:
Chandi Bates
Media and Communications Manager
Human Rights Law Centre
0430 277 254
chandi.bates@hrlc.org.au