Residents in nearby indigenous communities believe the lease requires Rio Tinto to operate the refinery in exchange for the right to mine the bauxite.
The refinery closure will destroy over 1,000 jobs, many of those represented by the Australian Workers' Union.
According to a recent report in the Northern Territory News (Australia), Rio Tinto claims the lease is "commercial and confidential".
So much for Rio Tinto's claim that it establishes a culture of trust and transparency with its stakeholders.