Other infamous mining project disasters with human rights abuses and past as well as ongoing environmental tragedies where Rio Tinto have left their permanent mark include Weipa bauxite (northern Queensland), Bougainville copper-gold (near Solomon Islands), Freeport copper-gold (West Papua), Rössing uranium (Namibia), Kaltim Prima coal (Indonesia) - not to mention unions and communities in Europe, the USA and across Asia and South America. Few companies in the world could claim to have a demonstrably worse record than the combined forces of RTZ and CRA, now merged as Rio Tinto.
Canning Resources, a Rio Tinto subsidiary, has been trying to develop the Kintyre uranium deposits in WA, although due to the depressed world uranium market, the proposal has been apparently mothballed for the foreseeable future. However, they were caught out in early November 1999 shipping hotel and beer supplies uporotected along with refined uranium oxide powder, tailings and waste rock back to the Kintyre site - despite the clear fact that, according to the national transport code for radioactive substances, it is ILLEGAL to transport radioactive substances with food stuffs - and always has been.
Subsequent investigations revealed that the material was derived from pilot milling work conducted at the Lucas Heights nuclear research laboratories of ANSTO. The bulk samples were originally from the Kintyre mine site and the products were simply being returned. Although this was small scale by modern standards, it proves that the work at Kintyre had been further advanced than Rio Tinto were previously admitting.
In June 2000, Rio Tinto announced an aggressive takeover bid for fellow Australian multinational miner North Ltd, mainly for their iron ore projects but there can be no doubt that Rio would have been eyeing off North's 68.4% majority stake in Kakadu uranium miner Energy Resources of Australia Ltd. After a brief but bruising and intense battle with South Africa's mining giant Anglo American, Rio Tinto emerged by late August with 100% control of North Ltd, giving Rio the control over uranium mining at Jabiluka and Ranger. Despite persistent rumours Rio may quickly sell their newly acquired 68.4% interest in ERA to French multinational nuclear conglomerate Cogema, Rio are playing the Kakadu, World Heritage and Mirrar issues very quietly.
Rio Tinto have also been continuing the exploration at Westmoreland in north-western Queensland. The infamous Rössing uranium mine in Namibia, a mine that has been the subject of the highest number of UN resolutions against it in the world, is majority owned by Rio Tinto. The Energy group of Rio Tinto is actively involved in uranium exploration around the world, most notably in northern Saskatchewan, Canada and parts of Australia.
A historical profile of Rio Tinto's historical activities has been prepared by PARTiZANS (People Against RTZ and its Subsidiaries), CAFCA (Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa) and Roger Moody, along with the help of people worldwide, called :
| Copies of Plunder! should be available through your local library or : | |
|---|---|
An excellent profile of Rio Tinto's involvement at the Grasberg-Freeport Gold mine in West Papua is available from Project Underground), through the Mineral Policy Institute (Sydney, NSW) -
For union campaigns against Rio Tinto, see the Stakeholders Reports by the International Federation of Chemical, Energy Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM).
| Directors : | Executive - Robert P Wilson (Chair), R Leigh Clifford (Managing Director / CEO), Robert Adams, Christopher R H Bull (Finance Director), Oscar L Groeneveld (CEO Copper Group), Chris Renwick (CEO Iron Ore Group), Jonathan C A Leslie (Mining Director), Gordon H Sage (CEO Industrial Minerals) Non-Executive - Richard V Giordano (Joint Deputy Chair), Lean A Davis (Joint Deputy Chair), John Morschel, Gary M Pemberton, Hon Raymond G H Seitz, Sir Richard Sykes, Lord Tugendhat, David L Mayhew |
| Contacts : | Rio Tinto Ltd - Australia : 55 Collins St Melbourne, VIC 3001 Ph (03) 9283 3333 - Fax (03) 9283 3707 Rio Tinto PLC - United Kingdom : 6 St James's Square, London SW1Y 4LD Ph (020) 7930 2399 - Fax (020) 7930 3249 |
| Website : | http://www.riotinto.com/ |
| ASX Codes : | Shares - RIO, Options - RIOO (Home Exchange - Melbourne, VIC & London, UK) |
| Annual Reports : | See website or order direct. |
| ACN : | 004-458-404 |
| Share Registry : | UK - Central Registration Ltd, 1 Redcliff St, Bristol BS1 6NT Australia - Corporate Registry Services Pty Ltd, Level 12, 565 Bourke St, Melbourne, VIC 3000 |
| Uranium Deposits : |
- Other Websites
- SEA-US : Rum Jungle, Mary Kathleen, Kintyre, Westmoreland, North Ltd, ERA
- The Gulliver File - CRA, RTZ, Rössing, Ranger, ERA, North Ltd, Peko-Wallsend Ltd, Pancontinental Mining Ltd
- Plunder! - Mary Kathleen, Kintyre, Rum Jungle (Complete zip file)
- WISE Uranium Project - Rio Tinto page.
- Mineral Policy Institute
- Project Underground
- CFMEU - Rio Tinto Campaign, Plunder of Namibian Uranium
- ICEM - Int. Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine & General Workers Unions
- Corporate Watch on Rio Tinto
- Coalition of Rio Tinto Shareholders
| Company or Entity | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tinto Holdings Australia Pty Ltd | ||
| Chase Manhattan Nominees Ltd | ||
| Westpac Custodian Nominees Ltd | ||
| National Nominees Ltd | ||
| ANZ Nominees Ltd | ||
| Citicorp Nominees Pty Ltd | ||
| AMP Life Ltd | ||
| Queensland Investment Corporation | ||
| HSBC Custody Nominees (Australia) Ltd | ||
| BT Custodial Services Pty Ltd | ||
| MLC Ltd | ||
| Perpetual Trustees Nominees Ltd | ||
| Mitsubishi Development Pty Ltd | ||
| National Mutual Life Association of Australia Ltd | ||
| Permanent Trustee Australia Ltd FIR 0018 a/c | ||
| AMP Nominees Pty Ltd | ||
| Commonwealth Life Ltd | ||
| Commonwealth Custodial Services Ltd | ||
| GIO Personal Investment Services Ltd | ||
| Permanent Trustee Australia Ltd FIR 0020 a/c | ||
Rio Tinto Ltd / Rio Rio Tinto PLC Executive Directors :
- Robert P Wilson (Chair) - Executive Chair of Rio Tinto PLC since January 1997 and Chair of Rio Tinto Ltd since January 1999. Formerly Chief Executive and Director of Rio Tinto PLC since 1987. Director of Rio Tinto Ltd since 1990 and Deputy Chair in 1995. Non-executive director of Diageo PLC, The British Petroleum Company PLC (now BP Amoco).
- R Leigh Clifford (Managing Director / CEO) - Chief executive of the Group since April 2000. Appointed mining director of Rio Tinto PLC, on secondment from Rio Tinto Ltd, in 1994 and a director of Rio Tinto Ltd in 1995. Previously held position of Chief Executive of Energy Product Group (Coal and Uranium).
- Robert Adams - Appointed a director of Rio Tinto PLC in 1991, with responsibility for Planning and Development, and a director of Rio Tinto Ltd in 1995. Non-Executive director of Foreign & Colonial Investment Trust PLC.
- Christopher R H Bull - Appointed finance director of Rio Tinto PLC in 1991 and a Director of Rio Tinto Ltd in 1995, having previously been an alternate director for Robert P Wilson. Non-executive director of Blue Circle Industries PLC, Schroder Split Fund PLC, Governor of the University of Greenwich.
- Oscar Groeneveld - Appointed a director of Rio Tinto PLC and Rio Tinto Ltd in June 1998. Currently head of the Copper Group. Previously Head of Technology for the Group, with responsibility for technical, health, safety and environment and research and development activities. Director of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.
- Jonathan C A Leslie - Appointed mining director of Rio Tinto PLC in 1994 and a director of Rio Tinto Ltd in 1995. Currently head of the Gold & Other Minerals Group. Previously Chief Executive of Copper Group. Director of Anglesey Aluminium Ltd and Lihir Gold.
- Gordon H Sage - Appointed Chief of Industrial Minerals for Rio Tinto PLC and a director of Rio Tinto Ltd in 1995. Member of the Council of the Confederation of British Industry. Non-Executive Director of Railtrack PLC.
- Leon A Davis (Joint Deputy Chair) - Chief Executive of the Rio Tinto Group from 1997 to March 2000. Director of Rio Tinto Ltd since 1994 and of Rio Tinto PLC since 1995. Director of Westpac Banking Corporation.
- Richard V Giordano (Joint Deputy Chair) - Non-executive director of Rio Tinto PLC since 1992 and Rio Tinto Ltd since 1995. Chairman of BG PLC, Director of Georgia Pacific Corporation in the USA.
- John P Morschel - Director since November 1998. Chair of Comalco Ltd since August 1998. Director of Westpac Banking Corporation, CSR Ltd, Cable & Wireless Optus Ltd and Tenix Pty Ltd. He is a Trustee of the Art Galleries of New South Wales.
- Gary M Pemberton - Appointed a non-executive director of Rio Tinto PLC / Ltd Ltd in 1996. Chairman of Qantas Airways Ltd and TAB Ltd. Director of Billabong Holdings Australia Ltd, N M Rothschild & Sons (Australia) Ltd and Queensland Investment Corporation.
- The Honorable Raymond G H Seitz - Appointed a non-executive director of Rio Tinto PLC / Ltd in 1996. Chairman of the committee on social and environmental accountability. Former US Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1991 to 1994. Chairman of Authoriszor, Inc., Vice-Chairman of Lehman Brothers International (Europe), Director of British Airways PLC, Cable and Wireless PLC, Marconi PLC and Chubb Corporation.
- Sir Richard Sykes - Appointed a non-executive director of Rio Tinto PLC and Rio Tinto Ltd in 1997. Chairman of the remuneration committee. Chairman of Glaxo Wellcome PLC, Fellow of The Royal Society, Trustee of The Natural History Museum in London.
- Lord Tugendhat - Appointed a non-executive director of Rio Tinto PLC and Rio Tinto Ltd in 1997. Formerly a Vice President of the European Commission. Chairman of Abbey National PLC, Blue Circle Industries PLC, Director of Eurotunnel PLC. Chancellor of the University of Bath.
- David L Mayhew - Appointed a non-executive director of Rio Tinto PLC and Rio Tinto Ltd in February 2000. Partner in Cazenove & Co.
References Rio Tinto Ltd Annual Report 1997 to 1999, Mudd (1998).
Share price graph courtesy of ComputerShare.
Last updated January 5, 2001.
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