00:00 As a young boy, Jawa Yunupingu watched the diggers roll in to begin mining bauxite on
00:07 his people's lands and shipping it out for export.
00:14 It doesn't mean a thing to me that export works here. Back in the days when we first
00:21 moved out here, we'd be seeing a lot of them coming in and out from the harbour and we'd
00:27 be saying, "Ah, there goes a boat full of our money."
00:31 Now 64 years old, the Gumut clan leaders nearly seen the mine's full cycle. It's machinery
00:37 to fall silent by 2030 when Rio Tinto ceases its GOV operations in the remote Northern
00:43 Territory.
00:44 I've always told them that when it's ready for you to leave, we can help you pack up.
00:49 We can help you pack up and let you go. You can sail in the sunset.
00:57 It's not just mining that will end. Royalty payments signed off in a landmark deal with
01:02 Rio Tinto, reported to be worth $700 million in 2011, will also finish, leaving once compensated
01:09 clan groups wary of what comes next.
01:13 And I just hate to see my people from this community line up at Centrelink.
01:23 The Gumut invested big portions of their royalty's share to fuel economic self-empowerment in
01:29 their community.
01:30 This timber mill among the tools purchased to fire up a local workforce. However, today
01:37 just one Yolngu worker has shown up, with others often away at funeral ceremonies for
01:44 weeks at a time.
01:46 But we do need workers to come in, especially Yolngu to come in and work here.
01:53 There is progress. For the first time in a decade, Charles Darwin University is opening
01:58 a campus in the region. Its main bid, to help the Yolngu urgently prepare for the future
02:04 post-mining.
02:06 We've got a couple of generations of families now that have lived off royalties or relied
02:10 on royalties or been accepting of royalties, which means they haven't needed to skill themselves
02:15 for employment.
02:17 In spite of the millions in mining royalties, East Arnhem Land remains one of Australia's
02:22 most disadvantaged local government areas, which this Arnhem Land author believes doesn't
02:27 reflect well on the miners.
02:29 The legacy from mining here looks pretty poor at the moment. We've got the highest death
02:36 rate in Australia.
02:38 Rio Tinto declined multiple requests to be interviewed for this story, but said in a
02:42 statement it was working with traditional owners on a post-mining future.
02:47 By providing benefits like employment, training and supporting regional economic development,
02:52 we can provide lasting value and positive outcomes to communities.
02:57 Here on the Gove Peninsula, the arrival of mining royalties also created deep divisions
03:01 between clan groups over who gets what share and why. With the mining companies soon to
03:07 pack up and go, traditional owners are hoping the end of royalties can mark a new chapter
03:12 of unity for the region.
03:14 We can both work together towards our next generation and stop that, save our money.
03:24 Whether enough's been done to cushion the blow, only time will really tell.
03:28 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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