Traditional owners 'won't accept' Argyle diamond mine site handback

Traditional owners 'won't accept' handback of rehabilitated Argyle diamond mine siteJBy Jess BakerABC KimberleyTopic:Mining Environmental Issues5m ago5 minutes agoSun 15 Feb 2026 at 11:00pmTraditional owners fear they will be left with "a giant hole in the ground forever" at Argyle. (Supplied: Gelganyem Limited)In short:Western Australia's Argyle diamond mine is being rehabilitated, with Rio Tinto on track to finish demolition, landforming and revegetation this year.Traditional owners say they are unwilling to accept a site that is contaminated with "forever chemicals".What's next?A Rio Tinto spokesperson says the company is working with traditional owners on a plan to manage cultural heritage sites.abc.net.au/news/argyle-diamond-mine-closure-traditional-owner-concerns/106339850Link copiedShareShare articleTraditional owners in Western Australia's remote East Kimberley say they will refuse the return of land housing Australia's last commercial diamond mine unless its restoration meets higher standards.Rio Tinto's now-defunct Argyle Diamond Mine, located about 3,000 kilometres north of Perth, once produced 90 per cent of the world's pink diamonds.It ceased production after nearly four decades in November 2020.More than 90 per cent of the world's annual natural pink diamond supply came from the Argyle mine. (Supplied: Rio Tinto)The mining giant has since shifted its focus to rehabilitation, with plans to eventually return the land to its Miriwoong and Gija traditional owners.But Gija woman and Gelganyem Limited chair Kia Dowell said the site's current state was unacceptable.The Gelganyem group manages relations between Rio and the traditional owners of the area around Argyle."As it stands now, traditional owners have confirmed that we are unwilling to accept a site that is contaminated with forever chemicals," she said."We will not accept the level of risk that has been created by a mining company in an authorising environment from the government."Kia Dowell and board members at the Argyle site. (Supplied: Timbee Photography)She said traditional owners were concerned the current closure plan would leave them with "a giant hole in the ground forever", unable to fish where they used to fish due to water contaminants."We are simply asking, just like I do with my children: if you make a mess, you clean it up," Ms Dowell said."We want the accountability to sit with the accountable parties who have extracted so much value from this site."We want those profits to be reinvested into the country to ensure that my kids, their kids and so on are able to go to that country and interact with it the way that their ancestors used to be able to."The Argyle mine was an open pit until 2010 and operations went fully underground in 2013. (Supplied: Murray Rayner)'Zero trust' between owners and RioMs Dowell has served on Gelganyem Limited's board since 2018.She said traditional owners had consistently voiced their concerns to Rio Tinto over that time but had not been listened to, so their relationship had deteriorated into complete distrust."In that eight-year period, we have not seen the change that we are seeking from Rio," she said."The zero trust is based on a lack of transparency, a lack of leadership, a lack of humility."A major rehabilitation program for the Argyle mine is underway. (Supplied: Rio Tinto)Rio 'committed to safe, respectful closure'A Rio Tinto spokesperson said traditional owners had a critical role in caring for country through the Argyle diamond mine life cycle, including closure."We understand the impact closure has on the community and we continue to work closely with traditional owners on the Argyle mine closure, seeking their feedback, embedding their perspectives, and ensuring cultural authority is respected throughout the process," the spokesperson said."We are working with traditional owners to develop a co-managed cultural heritage management plan."The plan will set out how cultural heritage sites and values will be managed and monitored through shared decision-making, and support progress towards closure outcomes that traditional owners have identified."Demolition, landform profiling and revegetation at the site are on track for completion in 2026. (Supplied: Rio Tinto)The spokesperson said the company was committed to delivering a "safe, stable, and culturally respectful" closure while monitoring and managing long-term environmental impacts."We will continue monitoring surface and ground water for at least 10 years, alongside annual fish sampling at Gap Dam, Limestone Creek and Flying Fox Creek, to support safe fish consumption under Australian government guidance," the spokesperson said.Rio Tinto is expected to complete demolition, landform profiling and revegetation of the mine site this year, after which a monitoring and maintenance program of at least 10 years will begin.The WA government has been contacted for com