The interplay between society and the natural environment in remote areas, with a focus on community value from mining and Indigenous communities
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The document discusses research from a Cooperative Research Centre in Australia that examined the interplay between Indigenous communities and the natural environment in remote areas, with a focus on community value from mining. Over seven years and $90 million, the research involved 750 publications, 36 graduate students, and engaged 240 Aboriginal community researchers. A key focus was on enduring community value from mining and case studies in Australia and Sweden that examined issues like Indigenous employment, mental health, economic impacts of fly-in fly-out workers, and toolkits for remote communities.
The interplay between society and the natural environment in remote areas, with a focus on community value from mining and Indigenous communities
- 1. The interplay between society and the natural environment in remote areas, with a focus on community value from mining and Indigenous communities International Symposium on Society and Resource Management (ISSRM) June 19-22, 2017 in Umeå, Sweden
- 2. What is remote Australia? 2
- 3. Compared with Europe, the average Aboriginal ‘nation’ would be about the same size as Austria or Ireland
- 4. ~400 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ‘nations’
- 5. The research – Cooperative Research Centre over 7 years, $US90 million • ‘to address social, economic, health and education disadvantage in remote Australia, and in particular, the impact of economic exclusion of the Indigenous population’ 5
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- 8. Outputs • 750 publications • 36 PhD and Masters students graduates • 400+ end-user events • 14 government policy submissions • Created a network of 240 Aboriginal Community Researchers 8
- 9. Interplay between culture, community, empowerment, education, employment, health and well-being in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6H8ZqucyFQ&feature=youtu.be • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4znHj4vKRo&feature=youtu.be 9
- 10. ‘Enduring Community Value from Mining’ research Outcomes: • Improved policy (government and industry) concerning local Indigenous employment insights • e.g. mining companies modifying their employment regimens • Mental health and economic impact of fly-in fly- out (FIFO) workers • Informed economic impacts (e.g. mine closures) • Toolkit 10
- 11. Mining Toolkit for Remote Communities • Mining Toolkit Typical view, resource company delivers enduring community value from mining (ECVM) • Instead: communities, NGOs, and government (with companies) deliver ECVM? • But: CSR, SLO, Community Acceptance/Informed Consent • Factor share theory (Blackwell & Dollery 2013; 2014) • Land labour capital • Royalties salary/wages dividends/interest/local supply • Mine Lifecycle and Community Economic Cycle Planning (Robertson & Blackwell 2016; Blackwell & Robertson 2016) 11
- 13. Enduring Community Value from Mining 13
- 14. Methods: Case Study Locations 14 Characteristic Australia Sweden Resources Vastest and rich ‘inheritance’ (Marshall 1788, p. 349) Mineral wealth Remoteness Geography Vast ‘uninhabited’ ultra- sparsely populated interior Sparsely populated north - Lapland Traditional people Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Sami Climate Arid deserts and tropical wetlands Arctic Regional Doorstep of Asia Major Landmass in Australasia Antipodes Europe Major landmass in Scandinavia Strategic Political Conservative Westminster democratic market economy with sovereign head of state Socialist democratic market economy with sovereign
- 15. Findings: Mineral Development Australia and Sweden 15 Characteristic Australia Sweden Resource owner Crown Crown Access manager Delegated to the states (not Commonwealth) Minerals Inspector (exploitation concession) Regulated? Yes, each state has a Mineral Resource Act Yes Minerals Act Institutional arrangements EIS proponent; social and environmental impact assessment and mitigation Permit also required under Swedish Environmental Code Can trigger State/Cth Acts e.g. EPBC Act (Cth) ? Social arrangements self governed e.g. SLO private royalties regional partnerships ? Actors: Decision makers? www.sgu.se Mineral Deposits of National Interest
- 16. Findings: Aboriginal &Torres Strait Islanders and Sami 16 Characteristic Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders Sami Uniqueness Now120+ Language groups, hence ‘peoples’ Northernmost indigenous people of European continent Traditional Livelihoods Hunters and gatherers, nomadic but language areas Reindeer herders Current Livelihoods Two worlds – strong connection to place and people As above Mining relationship Contested but growing wealth/affluence from royalties - disparity Contested Actors: Decision influencers? Kiruna and the surrounding area where national interests for nature (green dots), outdoor life (green lines), reindeer husbandry (red lines), culture (purple hatched) and minerals (black lines) overlap each other.
- 17. Findings: Indigenous Peoples Driving ECVM 17 Factor Jabiru, Ranger Uranium; Leigh Creek Coal Kristineberg Copper & Adak, Malå Resource – Town nexus R:One of World’s largest, 2021 legal life, community operates L: Mine just closed, community in transition K: Mine open, 8-10 mines over 150yrs, community doesn’t A: Mine closed, community thriving Royalties State, equiv. (R) & private Employment R: Strong 20%, ~5-10% local L: Weak ~0%, 0% local Dividend/intere st/partnership Nil – 100% company owned Local supply Yes Investment - infrastructure R: Built & manage airport, power built town L: Closed town (100%) Cultural Investment R: Regional partnerships & fund sports, art, music & cultural festivals L: Limited Rareness R: With Kakadu WHA wetlands, Cth, NT & Miner package deal, Jabiluka agreement L: No LGA, No land tenure, hist. apartheid Actors: Decision influencers BUT HOW?
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- 20. 20 References • Blackwell B and B Dollery (2014) The impact of mining expenditure on remote communities in Australia: The Ranger uranium mine and the Tanami gold mine in the Northern Territory, Australasian Journal of Regional Studies 20(1): 68-97. 'Accessed 19 Aug 2014 from: http://www.anzrsai.org/assets/Uploads/PublicationChapter/Blackwell-and-Dollery-final.pdf • Blackwell B and B Dollery (2013) Income factor shares from mining in remote Australia: An analysis of the Ranger uranium mine and the Tanami gold mine in the Northern Territory, Australasian Journal of Regional Studies 19(3), pp. 369-395. Accessed 19 Aug 2014 from: http://www.anzrsai.org/assets/Uploads/PublicationChapter/546-BlackwellandDollery.pdf • Blackwell, B.D. and S. Robertson (2016), ‘Enduring value for remote communities from mining: Synthesising production, employment, populations, and reform opportunities’, Learning Communities: International Journal of Learning in Social Contexts, Special Issue: Synthesis & Integration Writing from the Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation, April, No. 19, pp. 116-147. http://dx.doi.org/10.18793/LCJ2016.19.08 • Robertson, S. and Blackwell, B., (2016) ‘Remote mining towns on the rangelands: determining dependency within the hinterland ’, The Rangeland Journal, 37(6): 583-596. Accessible 23 December 2015 from: http://www.publish.csiro.au/?act=view_file&file_id=RJ15046.pdf • Marshall, A. (1878) ‘The Coal Question’, Chapter X and XI in Thorpe, T.A. (Ed.) Coal: Its History and Uses, MacMillian, London. Accessed 14 July 2015 from: https://ia601403.us.archive.org/19/items/coalitshistoryus00thorrich/coalitshistoryus00thorrich.pd f
Editor's Notes
- #13: This painting by Kathleen Wallace, an Aboriginal artist from Uyetye, in Todd River tells us a traditional story that illustrates how different people hold different knowledge, different parts of the story, and how they are responsible for keeping that story safe and passing on the knowledge. The story of 'Two Women Learning' is a metaphor for the relationship between Ninti One Limited and the CRC for Remote Economic Participation – that each are an integral part of the same story: how we hold knowledge and IP in trust for Aboriginal people and also how we share it to help those in remote areas prosper.