First Nations

RIAA’s Investor Toolkit: An Investor Focus on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and Cultural Heritage Protection, an initiative of RIAA’s Human Rights and First Nations Peoples’ Rights working groups.

Following this week’s release of the final report from the Senate inquiry into Rio Tinto’s destruction of Juukan Gorge, a new toolkit for the Australian and global investment community has been launched, detailing practical steps investors can take when considering and engaging with companies on Indigenous Peoples’ rights and cultural heritage protection. An initiative of the Responsible Investment Association Australasia’s (RIAA’s) Human Rights Working Group, the Investor Toolkit: An Investor Focus on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and Cultural Heritage Protection supports investors to manage the increasingly material issue of Indigenous heritage protection. The toolkit was produced by leading experts from finance organisations such as abrdn (formally Aberdeen Standard Investments), HESTA, AustralianSuper and Refinitiv, and endorsed by Indigenous groups such as the First Nations Heritage Protection Alliance and National Native Title Council.

A landmark business and investor initiative has been launched – bringing together First Nations, business and investor communities – focused on strengthening Australia’s First People’s heritage laws and standards for the private sector to uphold the human rights of First Peoples. Led by the First Nations Heritage Protection Alliance in partnership with the Global Compact Network Australia (GCNA), and the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA), the Dhawura Ngilan Business and Investor Initiative sees protecting cultural heritage as the responsibility of all Australians, including the finance and business sectors. The initiative is being launched as the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia prepares to report on its inquiry into the devastating destruction of Juukan Gorge on the traditional lands of the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (Binigura) peoples. This 2020 event marked a turning point in awareness of the value and importance of Country and cultural heritage for all Australians.

Our August meeting included a presentation by Jamie Lowe, CEO of the National Native Title Council, on Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUA) ad their challenged. This meeting also included an update on Dhawura Ngilan and other objective lead updates.

RIAA presents its first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), outlining its commitment to advancing reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

On 24 May 2020, Rio Tinto destroyed 46,000-year-old caves at Juukan Gorge – a place of personal, community, national and international significance. One year on, investors are working with First Nations peoples and organisations to increase First Nations voices in responsible investment and sustainable finance and ensure our investments respect and protect First Nations peoples’ rights and self-determination.

Our second FNPRWG meeting for 2021 included by Tony Bevan, a non-member Director of Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation (WGAC). WGAC is the first Native Title holder to develop and launch its own ESG scorecard for mining companies. This meeting also included a presentation by Ju-Lin, Senior Policy Advisor, National Native Title Council, regarding the WA cultural Heritage Bill.

The first meeting of the FNPRWG included an overview of Dhawura Ngilan, a framework that seeks to address the inadequacy of heritage protection legislative framework in Australia

Indigenous Voice co-design process to achieve a design for the Indigenous Voice, considering local, regional and national elements and how they interconnect.

RIAA will be hosting a Member-only webinar series focused on First Nations peoples that will run in 2020 and beyond, led by RIAA’s member Human Rights Working Group. It seeks to open a long and necessary conversation between First Nations peoples, civil society and investors on First Nations people’s rights, empowerment, and leadership.