Indigenous Australians
Rio Tinto has been working in active partnership with Indigenous Australians for over fifteen years. In 1996 we developed our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy through extensive consultation with Indigenous leaders.
The policy was built upon respect and recognition for Indigenous Australians and was considered 'landmark' for the resources sector. Over time the policy was implemented in four key areas including, regional development and land access agreements; community capacity building programmes; cultural heritage recognition and protection; and strongly governed funding bodies that supported Indigenous Australians to pursue their own ideas and initiatives.
Today we are the largest private-sector employer of Indigenous Australians, we employ approximately 2,400 Indigenous Australians with our current Indigenous employment rate at seven per cent. We are proud of the journey we have taken to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, however we are mindful that there is still a way to go and we can't do it alone. That is why we are working in partnership with Indigenous Australians, government and other organisations.
Find out more about our work with Indigenous Australians in the Rio Tinto Reconciliation Action Plan, which was launched in 2011.
