AN ARCHAEOLOGIST claims she deleted key sections of a survey of Aboriginal heritage sites commissioned by Fortescue Metals Group because she feared she would not be paid for the work if she did not.

Sue Singleton has written to the West Australian government saying she believed her firm, Eureka Heritage History Archaeology, would not be paid an outstanding bill of $70,000 unless she agreed to do so.

'It soon became very clear that, if we did not comply, [Fortescue] would withhold payment of our outstanding invoices' ... Sue Singleton. Credit:Christian Sprogoe

''It soon became very clear that, if we did not comply, FMGL would withhold payment of our previous, outstanding and well overdue invoices on the basis that FMGL could not be expected to pay for a report that they could not use. At the time there were a number of invoices that were already overdue for payment, amounting, in Eureka's case to $70,000.00.''

The disputed sites are on Fortescue's giant new Solomon Hub mine in the Pilbara, scheduled to produce about $9 billion worth of iron ore for the next 20 years at present prices.