Rio Tinto kicks a goal by providing opportunities for Indigenous

International mining group, Rio Tinto, aims to highlight its strong record of Indigenous partnerships, as sponsor of the 2008 Australian Indigenous Dreamtime Team.

Rio Tinto's record will come under the spotlight when the Rio Tinto Indigenous Dreamtime Team plays New Zealand Maori in the 'Welcome to Country' game as part of the Rugby League World Cup Official Opening on October 26 in Sydney.

As part of its sponsorship, Rio Tinto will make the dreams come true for more than 100 young rugby league fans, who will meet the Rio Tinto Indigenous Dreamtime Team in community activities in the week leading up to the October 26 game.

On Thursday 23 October, Rio Tinto is sponsoring the official pre-match team dinner and will use the occasion to highlight its new Aboriginal Policies and Programmes publication.

Rio Tinto has also invited Local Aboriginal Land Councils and rugby league clubs from the Indigenous community near its Hunter Valley coal operations to attend the Welcome to Country game at the Sydney Football Stadium on Sunday 26 October.

Rio Tinto Australia managing director, Stephen Creese, said Rio Tinto was proud to support the Dreamtime Team.

"The Rio Tinto Indigenous Dreamtime Team is yet another way for us to demonstrate our commitment to working with Australian Indigenous communities. By sponsoring this team we are recognising the valuable contribution that Aboriginal people make not just in sport but in many parts of the community including our workforce," Mr Creese said.

"Rio Tinto is a leader in Indigenous employment. We currently employ about 1,500 Indigenous Australians across our sites, and we are proud of our position as the biggest private sector employer of Indigenous Australians.

"From less than 0.5 per cent in 2001, today some eight per cent of our total workforce is Indigenous. For example, 25 per cent of our employees at the Argyle diamond operation in the Kimberley region of Western Australia are Indigenous Australians, while the Weipa bauxite operation has 21 per cent, ERA's Northern Territory operations 18 per cent, and the Pilbara iron ore operations nine per cent with a target of 20 per cent.

"Collectively, each year these Indigenous employees are earning in excess of $100 million."

Mr Creese said Rio Tinto has been working in partnership with Indigenous Australians in communities neighbouring its operations since the early 1990s by:
• Offering employment and training opportunities
• Building strong community links
• Establishing health and wellbeing programmes
• Fostering participation in sport and the arts.

"Rio Tinto has agreements in place with many local Indigenous communities particularly in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland. These agreements aim to provide better education, training and employment opportunities," Mr Creese said.

"They are also designed to assist commercial ventures, such as business contracting, as well as to increase our direct Aboriginal participation rates."

Mr Creese highlighted initiatives such as regional fly-in, fly-out, community based training programmes and on-site mentoring aimed at recruiting and re-training Indigenous people.

Rio Tinto supports the Australian Employment Covenant (AEC) aimed at finding 50,000 private sector jobs for Indigenous Australians. Rio Tinto has formed a team of its most skilled indigenous employment practitioners to assist the AEC, offering their expertise to companies and industries committing to targets to recruit and retain Indigenous staff.

About Rio Tinto

Rio Tinto is a leading international mining group headquartered in the UK, combining Rio Tinto plc, a London and NYSE listed public company, and Rio Tinto Limited, which is a public company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.

Rio Tinto's business is finding, mining, and processing mineral resources. Major products are aluminium, copper, diamonds, energy (coal and uranium), gold, industrial minerals (borax, titanium dioxide, salt, talc) and iron ore. Activities span the world but are strongly represented in Australia and North America with significant businesses in South America, Asia, Europe and southern Africa.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this announcement, including, without limitation, those regarding Rio Tinto's financial position, business strategy, plans and objectives of management for future operations (including development plans and objectives relating to Rio Tinto's products, production forecasts and reserve and resource positions), are forward-looking statements.

Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Rio Tinto, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

Such forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions regarding Rio Tinto's present and future business strategies and the environment in which Rio Tinto will operate in the future.

Among the important factors that could cause Rio Tinto's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, among others, levels of actual production during any period, levels of demand and market prices, the ability to produce and transport products profitably, the impact of foreign currency exchange rates on market prices and operating costs, operational problems, political uncertainty and economic conditions in relevant areas of the world, the actions of competitors, activities by governmental authorities such as changes in taxation or regulation and such other risk factors identified in Rio Tinto's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") or Form 6-Ks furnished to the SEC.

Forward-looking statements should, therefore, be construed in light of such risk factors and undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this announcement. Rio Tinto expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking (except as required by applicable law, the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers (the "Takeover Code"), the UK Listing Rules, the Disclosure and Transparency Rules of the Financial Services Authority and the Listing Rules of the Australian Securities Exchange) to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in Rio Tinto's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

Nothing in this announcement should be interpreted to mean that future earnings per share of Rio Tinto plc or Rio Tinto Limited will necessarily match or exceed its historical published earnings per share.

Subject to the requirements of the Takeover Code, none of Rio Tinto, any of its officers or any person named in this announcement with their consent or any person involved in the preparation of this announcement makes any representation or warranty (either express or implied) or gives any assurance that the implied values, anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied in forward-looking statements contained in this announcement will be achieved.

For further information, please contact:
Media Relations, Australia
Alison Smith
Office: + 61 (0) 7 3361 4223
Mobile: +61 (0) 438 787 038
Amanda Buckley
Office: +61 (0) 3 9283 3627
Mobile: +61 (0) 419 801 349
Email: mediaenquiriesau@riotinto.com
Website: http://www.riotinto.com/
High resolution photographs available at: http://www.newscast.co.uk/

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