A ground-breaking A$38-million land-use agreement between Aussie mining giant Hamersley Iron and the Eastern Guruma indigenous people of Western Australia’s Pilbara region has been signed after six years of negotiation.
Under the deal, the traditional owners of the 8,700 sq. km of mineral-rich land near Tom Price, 1,300 km north of Perth, will allow Hamersley Iron to mine and explore the area. In return, the Eastern Guruma community will receive up to A$38 million over the life of any new mines. The money will fund community projects for education, training, business and community development.
The agreement is the second of its kind reached in Western Australia and will allow Hamersley Iron’s parent company, Rio Tinto, to explore, but not mine, in the area.
Hamersley Iron operates eight iron mines in Australia’s Pilbara region and exports more than 68 million tonnes of iron ore a year to the global steel industry. Hamersley employs about 2,000 people.
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