GIFT at Work: YLP, the Pilbara, Western Australia
The Global Institute For Tomorrow is working with the mining giant Rio Tinto Iron Ore and indigenous peoples of the Pilbara region of Western Australia to design a Young Leaders Programme to address urgent issues.

On the road: (from left) Michael Woodley, Chandran Nair, Kate George, Tyson Mowarin

The project brings together separate work linked by common issues by two people who would otherwise be described as being on opposite sides of the fence.

Bill Hart is Rio Tinto’s general manager for community and external relations, and he has been working with the Pilbara Aborigines to address issues of compensation and other native title rights issues.

Michael Woodley is operations manager of a multifaceted indigenous project called the Juluwarlu Aboriginal Corporation that is working to preserve the culture of the Pilbara’s Yindjibarndi Aboriginal peoples, instil it among the youth, and invest in them so they have a future.

The two have come together – and with the help of GIFT are designing a YLP for the Pilbara youth, who are particularly hit hard by the unemployment, poor – and often non-existent – prospects, resulting in alcoholism and crime that have in many communities made life a struggle for Aboriginal people.

The Australian outback is a source of great cultural pride and could be one of economic wealth for the native people. The Pilbara region in particular is experiencing an enormous escalation in mining, but, a report prepared by an independent academic states, the resultant wealth has not benefited the indigenous people of the region; they have, by contrast, remained “remarkably disadvantaged in all areas [health, social, and economic status] … post-Native Title”.

The report puts forward that the mining growth represents a new era – and new challenges and responsibilities for the indigenous people, for which they will require new skills.

Native Title refers to a landmark decision in the High Court of Australia in 1992 that recognised Torres Strait Islanders have a form of land rights, and that this extended to other indigenous people – namely, the Aboriginal people. The Native Title Act of 1993 tried to deal with the implications of this decision. It was amended in 1998 to introduce more stringent procedures for awarding native title to claimants.

GIFT founder and chief executive Chandran Nair toured the remote Pilbara region of north-western Western Australia with Mr Woodley, consultant to Juluwarlu Kate George, an Aboriginal lawyer with 35 years in Aboriginal affairs with government, the private sector and with local communities, and Juluwarlu youth member Tyson Mowarin, who was media cameraman and editor.

The purpose of the trip was to gauge interest in a YLP among indigenous communities in the remote region and report back to a peak mining industry body, which included representatives of Rio Tinto.

They presented their findings to the Pilbara Industry’s Community Council in Perth on 31 October, putting forward a plan, reasons for and benefits of – to the indigenous peoples and to the extractive industries with interests in the region – a Pilbara Young Leaders Programme.

One of their chief contentions that a YLP was needed was that indigenous leaders did not believe existing leadership programmes available to Aborigines worked. They took people out of their communities for their training, and this made it very difficult to apply what they had learnt on return.

The Pilbara leaders wished to develop their own programme in the region that involved all of their communities: this was how the Pilbara YLP would be structured and – importantly – it would involve industry and government as well.

Among the most important observations made on the field trip were that dialogue with indigenous people is in general weak and superficial and any goodwill and money being put towards projects and communities are being used ineffectively. Current approaches to bridge the gap are clearly failing, with few young indigenous people involved in leadership issues.

There is also universal support for a Pilbara YLP.

The team concluded that resource companies need fresh approaches to sharing the prosperity resulting from the mining boom, and must build on lessons learnt. Communities, on the other hand, must build capacity that allows them to shape their own futures. In particular, young people are the key, but face a difficult journey. Both sides need to foster more open and honest dialogue, and must move beyond entrenched positions.

Building interest: Tom Price locals with members of the study team

Ms George, Messers Woodley, Mowarin and Nair visited the remote communities of Roebourne, Onslow, Tom Price, Newman, and South Hedland, from where the following comments are representative of people’s opinions:

“I would like to see to see Aboriginal people having more opportunities in the community with better education.”

“We need our families to get strong and overcome the bad statistics of alcohol, drugs and violence.”

“Most of the young kids don’t have an education and that’s what makes them afraid of talking in front of a lot of people, because they don’t know how to say things.”

“This might help some young people develop into leaders and take a leading role in getting the community up.”

“Elders are looking for the next generation to take over.”

The Juluwarlu Aboriginal Corporation
From the JAC website,

“Juluwarlu’s mission is to collect, record, catalogue, archive, preserve, re-produce, exhibit and broadcast the culture and history of the Yindjibarndi peoples as a resource for our own people, especially the children; to provide the resources to drive and nurture cultural and economic futures; and to share with the broader community.

“We seek to provide moral and professional support to the Yindjibarndi people of Roebourne; to manage and protect the land, culture and the environment.

“We aim to do this by employing the most effective and appropriate contemporary methods and media technologies, by training our people in the special skills required and by developing relationships with partners in the broader community we live in.”

Rio Tinto Iron Ore
From the Rio Tinto website:

"Rio Tinto is a world leader in finding, mining and processing the earth's mineral resources. The Group's worldwide operations supply essential minerals and metals that help to meet global needs and contribute to improvements in living standards. Rio Tinto encourages strong local identities and has a devolved management philosophy, entrusting responsibility with accountability to the workplace."

The Pilbara
The Pilbara is in the remote north-west of Western Australia. It has a rich and diverse cultural heritage, and is home to as many as 30 indigenous language groups of Aboriginal people.

The Pilbara's 507,896 square kilometres of semi-arid terrain extend from the Indian Ocean to the Northern Territory border. Its landscape is among the oldest on Earth, thought to be around 2.8 billion years old, and of stunning natural beauty.

Its mineral wealth has given it the moniker of the engine room of Australia.