A year on from the Juukan Gorge destruction, Aboriginal sacred sites remain unprotected

Rio Tinto's reputation is in pieces, but the laws, policies and power imbalances that allowed the blast to happen remain largely unchanged

The Western Australian government has refused to commit to a moratorium on approving the destruction of Aboriginal heritage sites, despite the recommendation of a federal inquiry which found that the laws are unfit for purpose".

The recommendation was made by an inquiry into Rio Tinto's destruction of Aboriginal heritage sites at Juukan Gorge on 24 May 2020.