Aboriginal relations
The land we use was traditionally managed by Aboriginal people, who continue to have an association with it. The Aboriginal community is a key stakeholder in the approval process for any land development proposal. Aboriginal people are also part of the communities in which we operate.
Our approach
Coal & Allied's core Aboriginal Relations objective is to obtain and maintain cost effective legal access to land. We aim to do this through building constructive relationships with Aboriginal communities who have interests in land on which Coal & Allied's operations are located or proposed.
This is achieved by:
- Developing Aboriginal community agreements
- Implementing Aboriginal community development programmes
- Mitigating impacts on Aboriginal cultural heritage
- Increasing Aboriginal employment opportunities
- Building cross-cultural awareness across the business.
Agreements
Land access agreements serve to formalise our relationship with Aboriginal communities.
Aboriginal community development
These programmes aim to address key issues and concerns of Aboriginal communities, particularly in the areas of education, training, employment and business development.
Support for these programmes is provided by Coal & Allied's Aboriginal Development Consultative Committee (ADCC).
A 2007 target was to promote sustainability and innovation in Aboriginal business enterprise. The ADCC supported business enterprise projects during 2007.
Cultural heritage
Rio Tinto recognises and respects the significance of Australia's cultural heritage, and in particular the cultural heritage of Aboriginal people who have traditional ownership of, or historical connections to, the land on which Rio Tinto businesses operate.
In 2008 Coal & Allied met its target to establish a three year Aboriginal cultural heritage assessment buffer (a survey that establishes the presence of physical Aboriginal heritage) at each operating mine.
Aboriginal employment
The Coal & Allied Indigenous employment strategy includes direct employment, encourages contractors to employ Indigenous people and supports the development of Indigenous owned enterprises to provide services to mining operations. Read more about the strategy and workforce diversity.
In 2008 Coal & Allied continued to implement the Indigenous employment strategy through mining operator traineeships and apprenticeships.
Of the 14 participants who entered traineeships throughout 2008, 12 are expected to finish their traineeships throughout 2009 and secure employment in the industry. Two young Aboriginal men started an apprenticeship in mid 2008 and are progressing through the four year programme.
Cross-cultural awareness
Coal & Allied has developed a business wide cross-cultural awareness programme for employees and contractors, which aims to:
- Provide employees with a greater understanding of Rio Tinto Coal Australia's approach
- Develop a greater appreciation for, and awareness of, Aboriginal culture and history
- Provide leaders within the business with skills to assist in working with Aboriginal people.
