COMMUNITY RELATIONS IN AUSTRALIA

Context

  • Our operations in Australia are situated in sparsely populated areas of Western Australia. Previously our definition of host community included Perth, considering the strong links between the city and regional communities and the fly-in, fly-out nature of most of our mining camps. In 2017, we revised this definition to focus on those communities that are in close proximity to our operations
  • Our host communities are home to an estimated 36,723 people in the Shires of Laverton, Menzies, Kalgoorlie, Coolgardie and Leonora. The majority of the people reside in the city of Kalgoorlie with an estimated population of 30,000
  • In 1993, the Commonwealth Native Title Act was enacted to provide a framework for the recognition and protection of the Native Title rights of Aboriginal people, who have rights and interests under traditional laws and customs over much of Australia, including over many mining tenements. In recent years, a number of Native Title claims have been successful in Western Australia and for mining tenement applications that are the subject of such claims, the consent of the relevant Native Title group must be obtained as a precondition to the grant of tenure
  • Economic opportunities for Aboriginal people in many remote communities are limited. Aboriginal people only represent 3% of the Western Australian population; however, in our host communities this representation varies from 3% to 45%
  • In 2017 we took over management of the Gruyere gold project in Western Australia, from Gold Road Resources. A Native Title agreement over the area was concluded between Gold Road and the Yilka People in 2016, granting the Gruyere mining tenure in exchange for a range of financial and non-financial benefits. This agreement has been assigned to Gold Fields

Build relationships and trust

  • In 2017, Gold Fields Australia undertook a review of its stakeholder relations strategic plan, which covers all stakeholders from Aboriginal people and community groups at a local level, to local shires, and ultimately State and Federal Government. The requirements of the Gruyere Native Title Agreement are now integrated into this plan
  • With regard to Aboriginal people, our engagement approach has been established over many years with a focus on the preservation of cultural rights and heritage. At all sites, Aboriginal people regularly undertake heritage surveys across the operations to identify any potential sites of significance that require protection

 

Create and share value
 
Project 1: Host community procurement

Our host community procurement seeks to deliver opportunities for local participation in our value chain. During 2017, we reviewed our procurement practices across the region and developed a strategy to enhance local participation see here. To date, we have realised the following opportunities, including:

  • The development of cultural awareness programmes to all employees and contractors to understand the local culture and the importance of the land upon which the mines are situated
  • The completion of heritage surveys across areas of proposed disturbance. These surveys are undertaken by local Aboriginal people, given their intimate knowledge of the area and the culture. No new land is allowed to be disturbed prior to obtaining their authorisation
  • A sub-contract has been awarded to local Aboriginal people to construct fences on the Gruyere construction site, which could be extended to ongoing fence maintenance
  • Some of the key strategies to encourage host community procurement include giving preference to tenderers and primary vendors who maximise host community content (particularly from indigenous-owned businesses) and seek to partner with local and indigenous contractors

Benefits to the community

Host community employment provides direct and indirect economic benefits to host communities through increased earnings and spending power. Through our skills development programmes, it also provides employed community members experience and learning, which in turn opens other job opportunities.

Benefits to Gold Fields

Host community employment provides us with a local pipeline of skills, as well as enhancing diversity at the workplace.
 
Other material value creation projects

Our SED spending in Australia is largely channelled through the Gold Fields Australia Foundation, which is administered by an independent board of trustees. The Foundation is investing in projects that are primarily aimed at improving access to healthcare in remote communities in Western Australia.

  • One of the main projects allows for diagnosis of rare diseases using three-dimensional facial imagery. Our investment in this technology has been focused on developing the image database for Aboriginal people, which continued into 2017
    Costs: A$50,000 (US$33,500) in 2016
  • In partnership with the Harry Perkins and the Lions Eye Institute, we fund the development of a prototype eye scanning unit. This portable unit can be transported to remote communities and used in the diagnosis of eye-related health concerns. The first prototype is currently undergoing testing
    Costs: A$50,000 (US$33,500) in 2016
  • We are providing young Aboriginal people with the opportunity to pursue tertiary education. Scholarships are not restricted to mining-related disciplines and to date, 12 people have been through the programme, 10 of whom are in current full-time employment, with two participants completing their studies in 2017. A further three scholarships have been awarded for 2018
    Costs: A$30,000 (US$23,000) in 2017 and A$385,000 (US$296,000) to date
For more details on the Gold Fields Australia Foundation go to www.goldfields.com/societal-stakeholders.php


Graduates Travis Germain (left) and Brandon Graham (right) of the Australian Aboriginal Tertiary Scholarship programme

Manage risk and impact
 
Project 1: Engaging with Native Title holders at the Gruyere project

Risk: The composition of the Native Title rights holders is somewhat unusual at the Gruyere project. Two Native Title claims were progressed through the Federal Court in parallel, but were ultimately determined as a single claim (with the rights held by a single group). This created some challenges for the Gruyere project team to engage on a group basis with the two different groups.

Action:

  • Engaged with Native Title holders collectively to encourage consolidation of the group
  • Appointed a Community Liaison Officer at Gruyere and consider establishing a project office in the nearby Cosmo Newberry village
  • Regular meetings between Gruyere management and Native Title holders
  • Apply learnings at other Gold Fields' mines with a particular focus on host community employment and procurement
 
Project 2: Preserving cultural heritage

Risk: Sites of ethnographic and archaeological significance occur all over Western Australia and there is a risk that these sites could be damaged due to exploration and construction activities.

Action:

  • Cultural heritage management plans are developed as appropriate at all sites
  • All areas of disturbance are surveyed using relevant experts and local Aboriginal people
  • Exclusion areas have been established for areas of high significance
  • Site disturbance protocols have been implemented
  • Provision of cultural awareness training by local Aboriginal people to our workforce

Measure actions and impacts
 

SED spend in Australia 2014 – 2017
 
Grievances

During 2017, one community grievance was submitted, which pertained to the Native Title at the Gruyere project, where the Yilka people successfully registered a Native Title claim in 2009. This registration meant that Yilka consent was necessary for the grant of mining tenure. This consent was provided in 2016 (prior to Gold Fields acquiring its interest in the project).

As the Yilka claim progressed, a smaller group of Aboriginal people (Sullivan Edwards) lodged a secondary claim. The unregistered status of this group meant that their consent was not required to the grant of the Gruyere mining tenure, and they did not participate in the negotiation process. Despite the lack of registration, the rights of the Sullivan Edwards group were ultimately recognised in the formal determination of Native Title by the Federal Court. Gold Fields has sought to engage with the Sullivan Edwards group, but notwithstanding this engagement, lawyers representing the group submitted a grievance to Gold Fields, alleging a failure to engage. Our engagement approaches are continuing.