Originally published by Australian Mining.
The effort to better acknowledge and include First Nations peoples in the Australian mining industry is advancing as more Indigenous initiatives are introduced and more Indigenous contracts awarded.
While some mining companies can still improve their Indigenous engagement, there are instances that indicate a concerted effort to prioritise First Nations recognition and involvement.
Florence Drummond, chief executive officer of Indigenous Women in Mining and Resources Australia (IWIMRA), is excited by the trajectory of Indigenous engagement in Australian mining.
āWhat Iāve seen from my experience is a lot more campaigns in terms of Indigenous employment which is fantastic,ā Drummond says.
āThereās been a lot more learning and interpretation around Indigenous Procurement Policy (IPP) as well so engaging not only with employees but Indigenous businesses to build better relationships with communities holistically as well.
āSo those have been really successful points or strengthening points for best engagement between the industry, society but also communities.ā
Fortescue Metals Groupās (FMG) launched a new initiative in March 2020 alongside longstanding belt and conveyor maintenance contracting partner, REMA TIP TOP (REMA), to offer belt splicing traineeships for Indigenous workers.
As part of its contract negotiations with FMG, REMA signed an agreement with wholly-Indigenous-owned workforce organisation Karlayura Group to deliver the traineeships.
FMGās Vocational Training and Employment Centre (VTEC) program has also employed over 1000 Aboriginal people since 2006.
A big part of mining services company NRW Holdingsā business model is to respect the importance of Indigenous culture in Australia.
Through their Indigenous pre-employment program, Powerup, NRW is committed to providing sustainable opportunities for Indigenous Australians going forward.
Indigenous employment is one important piece to the puzzle, however, Drummond believes there are other critical elements to the cause.
āWhen we think about our participation when it comes to decarbonisation and digitalisation, itās always evolving so weāre always thinking about, āWell where do we belong and where can we be most impactfulā,ā she says.
āBut also as well, where is there shared value because itās never a one-way street and I think reflecting on your previous question around Indigenous acknowledgement, thereās been a lot of language now focusing around, āWell what are the protocols? How are we then really maximising our Indigenous engagement strategies and reconciliation action plans?ā.
āBecause essentially those are the tools and the strategies that we can put in place throughout organisations that gives us standard and also measurable outcomes as well.ā