Cultural heritage and traditional rights
Prominent Hill adheres to all relevant Australian Acts and Regulations regarding local communities land and customary rights, including those of indigenous peoples. Native Title rights for the Antakarinja Indigenous Group was identified through the Native Title Agreement Act. Other pertinent legislation includes the Pastoral Land Act and the Mining Act. There were no incidents or violations involving rights of indigenous people.
Any disturbances around culturally significant areas are reported internally and significant disturbances, such as unintended land clearances, are reported to the relevant authorities. During the year, vehicle tracks were noticed through a heritage site and recorded on our internal register.
An Antakarinja Matu-Yankunyta Aboriginal Corporation (AMYAC) ANZ Bank Trust fund has been developed to assist in the sustainable use of production payments. The trust will include an advisory council made up of representatives from the Antakarinja traditional owners.
Production payments from Prominent Hill will be paid into the fund and distributed into the community in areas such as education and cultural and community development. On an annual basis, we currently disperse a scholarship payment of $200,000 for a variety of educational expenses. This is administered by the scholarship sub-committee upon which OZ Minerals has representation. We have also contributed to an Accumulation Trust of which an annual payment of $100,000 is held in Trust for 10 years. The interest component may be accessed after that period for ongoing education purposes. This enables us to support future generations of the AMYAC indigenous community.