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nAIDoc

Championing indigenous culture

esources companies of all shapes sites. That’s the real exciting part and we of Aboriginal people and cultures. She
Rand sizes need “dedicated champi- look forward to what’s next.” pointed to the “high-level cultural aware-
ons” prepared to forge unwavering trust McGrady was joined on the panel ness” training programmes offered by
and strong cultural bonds with indig- by BHP strategy and planning special- Thiess over a number of years.
enous communities and then take those ist Emma Garlett, Cundaline chairman “If you seek to better understand Abo-
relationships back to the boardroom and Brenden Taylor and senior adviser of riginal people and culture, then the bet-
include Aboriginal people in the decision- diversity, inclusion and community at ter you will be able to communicate that,”
making process. Thiess, Nevinia Davenport. she said.
That was the overarching message Garlett highlighted the importance of “At Thiess we have a very structured
to come from a WA Mining Club lunch listening to what the Traditional Own- cultural learning framework where we
panel discussion ers have to say, engage through high-level cultural
in late June featur- especially when awareness training that gives you con-
ing four indigenous it comes to water text around history, some of the cultural
leaders from the management. norms and the intergenerational trauma
likes of majors BHP “ Tr ad it i o na l that has come about as a result of some
Ltd and Fortescue Owners have of the history. And that provides really
Metals Group Ltd, over 60,000 years base-level knowledge around Aboriginal
mining contrac- of sustainable culture in the current day context.”
tor Thiess Pty Ltd practices when it Davenport added that it was equally
and 100%-owned comes to water important to develop cultural compe-
Aboriginal business management and tency in company leaders in terms of
Cundaline Resourc- it’s really impor- how to properly engage with Aboriginal
es Pty Ltd. tant we take that businesses and Traditional Owner repre-
Fortescue has set into account in the sentatives.
the pace for building ways we manage “Without that, you almost send them
indigenous capac- our water in the in ill-equipped to actually be successful
ity and capability in their communica-
for the best part of tion and engage-
two decades. Since ment,” she said.
2006, the company “There are so many
has committed to different Aboriginal
training more than corporations and
1,000 Traditional businesses that of-
Owners and Abo- Nevinia Davenport fer those services.
riginal people for hands-on roles within Pilbara,” she said. It’s an investment in
its iron ore operations in the Pilbara. “It’s really im- the business to do
In 2011, Fortescue pledged to spend portant to remem- well in indigenous
$1 billion on growing Aboriginal busi- ber that when engagement and
nesses and JVs. On the 10th anniversary you’re engaging operating in a such
of that commitment in May this year, that with Traditional a manner that is cul-
total had surpassed $3 billion. Owners and in- turally safe, for your-
Fortescue Aboriginal business devel- digenous people self and the other
opment principal Yuluwirri McGrady said that it’s important people that you’re
the Andrew Forrest-chaired company to listen and it’s engaging with.”
was continually looking at ways to better important to take Cundaline is now
engage with indigenous cultures. the time to sit a 100% indigenous-
“We actually now sit down with the cor- down and hear. owned business
poration that represents the Native Title An approach that with more than 150
bodies and we’re now working with them I would suggest is employees on its
to build their business,” McGrady said. not to ask ques- books, of which
“They’re now diversifying their revenue tions because a Yuluwirri McGrady 80% have Aborigi-
stream, they are not wholly and solely re- lot of our elders will tell us what they want nal heritage.
lying on compensation through royalty or to tell us and they’ll give us information Taylor praised the industry for provid-
through heritage surveys, they are actu- that they want us to know, rather than ing more opportunities for indigenous
ally signing some quite substantial con- pushing for information we want to know inclusion but warned against a return to
tracts. Last year, we awarded over $150 to get things done. what he described as “black cladding”.
million to an Aboriginal corporation which “Engage early, engage often and, most “Going back five or 10 years ago, there
really was a great achievement for us. importantly, engage meaningfully.” was no choice with indigenous JVs be-
“What’s next? There’s murmurs out Davenport urged companies to place a cause back then companies didn’t help
there in the market around equity share greater emphasis on training and activi- indigenous people in [building] their ca-
or JVs in the actual development of mine ties targeted at improving understanding pabilities or their capacity, they just hand-

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