Rio Tinto bosses lose bonuses after destruction of Aboriginal sites

A board review found that while Rio Tinto had obtained legal authority to impact the Juukan Gorge rock shelters, it fell short of the standards and internal guidance that the company sets for itself, "over and above its legal obligations".

Rio went ahead with the destruction of the 46,000-year old caves in May despite opposition from Aboriginal traditional owners, the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people. The rock shelters were above around 8m tonnes of high-grade iron ore, with an estimated value of £75m.

In light of the findings, chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques, chief executive of Iron Ore Chris Salisbury and group executive of corporate relations Simone Niven will not receive a performance-related bonus for 2020 under the company's short-term incentive plan. In addition, Jacques’ 2016 bonus, which is due to vest in the first half of 2021, will be reduced by £1m.

Chairman Simon Thompson said: "While the review provides a clear framework for change, it is important to emphasise that this is the start of a process, not the end. We will implement important new measures and governance to ensure we do not repeat what happened at Juukan Gorge and we will continue our work to rebuild trust with the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people.

"We fully recognise traditional owners must be treated as equal partners which includes regular, open and respectful dialogue.

"It is clear that no single individual or error was responsible for the destruction of the Juukan rock shelters, but there were numerous missed opportunities over almost a decade and the company failed to uphold one of Rio Tinto's core values - respect for local communities and for their heritage."