This commentary will outline the circumstances leading to the destruction of the Juukan Caves by Rio Tinto in May 2020. Secondly, it explains how the existing complexities of the legal framework designed to protect Indigenous cultural heritage resulted in the “legal” destruction of the Juukan Caves. The third part considers whether this incident may encourage positive changes in the relationship between Aboriginal peoples and resource companies which is reflected in law and governance. Recommendations from an ongoing public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the destruction may begin this process of healing for the impacted Aboriginal community providing some pathways for change.

本评论将概述导致力拓于 2020 年 5 月破坏 Juukan 洞穴的情况。其次，它解释了旨在保护土著文化遗产的法律框架的现有复杂性如何导致 Juukan 洞穴的“合法”破坏. 第三部分考虑这一事件是否会促使原住民与资源公司之间的关系发生积极变化，这反映在法律和治理上。正在进行的对破坏周围情况的公众调查提出的建议可能会开始为受影响的土著社区提供治愈的过程，从而为改变提供一些途径。