Australian Indigenous Enterprises in Mining

The inaugural conference for Australian Indigenous Enterprises in Mining is being run in conjunction with the annual Minerals Council of Australia Sustainable Development Conference.

Significant numbers of opportunities have emerged for Aboriginal people in the mining and exploration industry over the last decade. As well as employment, there are a number of successful Aboriginal owned companies that have been established to link in and take advantage of the opportunities that exist with larger mining operations around the country.

Given this growth in downstream Aboriginal enterprise, and the excellent work being done by these companies, we have agreed that it is timely to convene a conference to highlight and learn from these successful companies and individuals.

This conference will aim to:

Bring together Aboriginal businesses in the mining and exploration industry to network with each other;

Highlight the work that is being done through case studies;

Identify and share best practices;

Further the professional and personal development of key individuals in the Aboriginal business sector involved in the mining and exploration industry;

Enable networking between the principals of Aboriginal businesses and representatives of the mining, exploration, financial and other business sectors.

A similar conference has been conducted annually over the last 12 years by the Canadian Aboriginal Minerals Association. The founding members of this group have accepted invitations to participate in this Australian conference.

A schedule of presentations will be prepared covering such areas as;

The establishment of an Australian Aboriginal Mining Association;
Case studies from Australia and around the world;
Sources of support.

Key note speakers will set the scene for the conference and then specific papers will present case studies and other material that is relevant to the Aboriginal sector.

Vendors will be invited to set up trade displays.