Rio Tinto has apologised and paused work at a mining site in Western Australia over fears it has damaged another ancient cultural site sacred to the local First Nations peoples.

A tree and boulder fell from the overhang of a rock shelter in the Pilbara region, close to the Nammuldi mine, in August – the same month the WA government announced it would wind back laws designed to protect culturally significant sites in the state. 

It was because of Rio Tinto that those laws were rushed through parliament, with the mining giant's 2020 destruction of two 46,000-year-old rock shelters at Juukan Gorge, also in the Pilbara.

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This time around, Rio Tinto said it hadn't found any evidence of structural damage to the 50,000-year-old rock shelter itself, which is sacred to the Muntulgura Guruma people.

It paused its operations at the Nammuldi site when it noticed the fall of the tree and boulder.

"As soon as we identified this, we paused work which was occurring 150 metres away, and notified the Traditional Owners of the land, the Muntulgura Guruma people," Rio Tinto said in a statement.

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"Initial assessments taken by drone haven't found structural damage to the rock shelter or impacts to any cultural materials.

"We are working closely with the Muntulgura Guruma people to better understand what has happened and will be guided by them on the appropriate next steps.

"We deeply respect the Muntulgura Guruma people and have apologised for this incident."

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A theatrical company facing allegations it discriminated against an actor who made well-publicised sexual harassment complaints about another star will try to have the case dismissed or suppressed.

Christie Whelan Browne has brought a lawsuit against Oldfield Entertainment alleging victimisation after she complained of harassment by Craig McLachlan, her cast-mate in a 2014 production of the Rocky Horror Show.

The lawsuit centres around alleged discrimination experienced during the show and in Oldfield's responses to her complaints from 2017 onwards.

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"I know that I deserved better treatment, that I deserved to feel safe and respected in my workplace," Whelan Browne said in a statement on social media earlier in September.

"Other women in the arts deserve better and I won't accept that anything less than that is 'just the way it is'."

The Federal Court lawsuit has been filed against the theatrical company and does not seek relief from McLachlan.

He was acquitted of alleged sexual assault in December 2020 and dropped defamation action against media outlets and Whelan Browne in 2022, citing a need to protect his own mental health.

Oldfield Entertainment's barrister Bronwyn Byrnes told a Federal Court hearing on Friday the company had been disadvantaged in responding to the lawsuit.

The whereabouts of some people named in the lawsuit was no longer known as they had finished working at the company and could not be directed to participate in the proceedings.

Their memories would also have "diminished significantly", Byrnes said.

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She foreshadowed an application to summarily dismiss or permanently stay the proceedings, saying the respondents were significantly prejudiced by a delay of more than eight years.

Oldfield also lacked access to transcripts of past criminal and civil proceedings and sought more time to respond to the proceedings, which Byrnes said the company only became aware of last week.

"Until then we had no sensitivity that proceedings were actually going to be launched," she said.

Whelan Browne's barrister Kate Eastman SC said Oldfield had been on notice since a complaint was made to and terminated by the Australian Human Rights Commission.

"The reasons that have been advanced this morning … are not reasons that should cause any delay," Eastman said.

Mediation is planned for late November to potentially avoid a trial.

Eastman said if a trial went ahead it should take "a trauma-informed approach" providing certainty to Whelan Browne about what was expected of her.

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The actor would be confident giving evidence orally, but her barrister raised concerns about requirements to prepare written affidavits "recounting all those incidents again", noting interest in the case from the media.

Byrnes sought suppression, arguing past reporting caused McLachlan distress and embarrassment.

He was not a party to Whelan Browne's lawsuit and could decide that he would not co-operate in the proceedings, which would further prejudice the defence, she said.

Justice Elizabeth Raper said she did not have the power to make the orders without a formal application, which Byrnes said would be made on Friday.

The case returns to court on Monday to schedule that hearing.

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Commonwealth Bank business customers could get a rude shock when they go to make deposits from next month, with the bank increasing its fees from October 1.

Just months after CBA recorded a record profit of $10.2 billion, customers with a business transaction account will have to pay $10 instead of $3 per QuickCash bag deposit, while the fees for over-the-counter and cheque transactions will rise from $3 to $5.

Customers who pay a $10 monthly account fee will be able to make five deposits per month, down from the current 20.

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However, cash withdrawals and deposits at the bank's instant deposit ATMs will remain free of charge.

While the move has sparked accusations of Commonwealth Bank not wanting to support cash-friendly businesses, CBA told 9news.com.au the change was a necessary one.

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A spokesperson said the bank needs to invest more in online banking security measures at the same time as cash handling costs are increasing.

"With more and more Australians choosing to do their banking online and using devices to make payments, we're investing in improving the experience and security of payments for all customers," the spokesperson said.

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"This includes providing access to the latest self-service technologies.

"At the same time, the cost of handling, processing and storing cash continues to increase.

"While these changes may impact some of our customers, our preference is to work with our customers to help them avoid paying fees by taking advantage of self-service and digital payments."

According to the Australian Banking Association, nearly 99 per cent of all banking interactions now take place digitally, while the use of cash has dropped from 70 per cent of all payments in 2007 to just 13 per cent in 2022.