AFL to sever ties with Rio Tinto over Indigenous sacred site blast

The AFL has decided to part company with Rio Tinto, a sponsor of the league's Indigenous pathway programs, over the mining giant's destruction of a 46,000-year-old Indigenous sacred site in the Pilbara.

The AFL was subject to criticism for the partnership with the mining giant, which blew up the site at Juukan Gorge, Western Australia, to access iron ore, in an event that upset the traditional owners, prompted a Senate inquiry and saw three Rio Tinto executives resign, including the chief executive.PKKP Aboriginal Corporation

The decision, while potentially costly during the COVID-19 recession that has hit the AFL and its clubs hard, will be welcomed by many Indigenous leaders, who voiced dismay at Rio Tinto's destruction of the 46,000 site, which happened in late May this year. The traditional owners, the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people, gave evidence to the Senate inquiry and have said that the site's destruction via explosives had caused "immeasurable cultural and spiritual loss and profound grief.''

The AFL should stop playing politics and start playing football. People go to the footy to get away from politics, not to have it shoved down their throats. Rio is a good company, one mistake should not define them. If that was the case the AFL would of died a long time ago!!

That took a while.

Go woke go broke.

Great news... so ethical ...they can partner up with another betting company or brewery now 👍🏻

Fair Enough.

Had to for a better more commercial look.

Australians should be allowed to go to any part of the world they want . Why have we accepted this exit ban ? Return our basic human rights .

The AFL are such virtue-signalling hypocrites.

This was terrible crime and let me explain why. Oldest cave paintings in Europe 30,000 years Oldest in Indonesia 44,000 years This was the oldest human cave art still in place in the world. 46,000 years old! They should have never been given a permit to mine anywhere near it!

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'Gag order' warning delivered by Rio Tinto lawyers to traditional owners before caves destroyed, inquiry hearsLawyers for mining company Rio Tinto warned traditional owners trying desperately to save the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters that they could not speak publicly about the issue, an inquiry hears. They were caves not gothic hand built cathedrals. Don’t they call this progress and don’t Aborigines use power and fuel like everyone else they also make millions on land seems to me blackmail rights they are never happy not matter what is done my opinion only Reason for 'gag' order - they knew what they were doing is wrong
Source: abcnews - 🏆 5. / 83 Read more »