Social Performance
Engaging with local communities, councils, landholders, neighbours, Traditional Owners and other interest groups has been central to shaping the way Bravus Mining & Resources works to meet public expectations to deliver real social and economic benefit.
Social Performance
Engaging with local communities, councils, landholders, neighbours, Traditional Owners and other interest groups has been central to shaping the way Bravus Mining & Resources works to meet public expectations to deliver real social and economic benefit.
As part of the approvals for Carmichael Mine, Bravus Mining & Resources has worked with stakeholders right across Queensland since 2010. These include:
- Local governments, regional development organisations and chambers of commerce
- Landholders and near neighbours around the mining and pastoral leases
- The Traditional Owners of the land on which the Carmichael Mine and the Carmichael Rail Network are located – the Juru, Jangga, Birriah and Clermont-Belyando (formerly Wangan and Jagalingou) peoples and other Indigenous communities and businesses
- Local community groups and organisations in regional towns and cities bounded by Townsville in the north, Clermont in the west and Rockhampton in the south
Fast Facts
- More than 2,600 jobs delivered and over AUD $1 billion paid to regional Queensland contractors and businesses during the construction phase
More than AUD $2 million invested into more than 100 different community organisations through our Community Partnerships Program and sponsorships
AUD $120 million in upgrades to local road infrastructure either delivered or underway
Working with First Nations Australians
At the Carmichael Mine, we create sustainable employment and economic opportunities for First Nations communities through our operations and related activities.
During the pre-construction work on the Carmichael Project, we signed Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUAs) with Traditional Owners from the Clermont-Belyando (formerly Wangan and Jagalingou) people, Jangga people, Birriah people and Juru people. These voluntary agreements determine future development and set frameworks for working together for the mutual benefit of current and future generations.
We also developed and implemented rigorous Cultural Heritage Management Plans to preserve important sites and practices.
These formal agreements and plans also support the development of skills and training and underpin our approach so that we respect the rights, history, future intentions, and requests of First Australians.
Cultural heritage in practice
Cultural heritage management across the site of the proposed Carmichael Project started well before any of the major works began.
Bravus Mining & Resources outlined how it would uphold its duty of care to maintain cultural heritage protections in comprehensive Cultural Heritage Plans agreed with First Nations Traditional Owners in 2014.
Seven land assessments were conducted prior to the major approvals being granted for the Carmichael Project as well as reviews, surveys and technical advisories.
Bravus Mining & Resources Cultural Heritage Superintendent Hal Walsh works with Traditional Owners to survey the lands. He says the process is extremely thorough, involving people walking in lines to assess the area in detail.
“They look for artefacts on the surface of the ground, they look for any trees of significance, culturally modified trees, also known as scar trees.”
“I love being with the Traditional Owners because the excitement on their faces when they find something of significance – like an axe head or a spear head, or even a scar tree – it gives me a satisfaction that we’re protecting their culture and we’re helping them to cultural heritage sites of significance.”
“With every survey that the Traditional Owners conduct, they’re always finding new things. They’re very appreciative of being given the opportunity to come back and walk on their land and be one with their country and protect these sites of significance and relocate them to safe-keeping places.”
Applying First Nations knowledge to create better outcomes
Our continued engagement with Traditional Owner groups also informs how we approach land management and offer local employment, training, and business development.
For example, Woongal Environmental Services, a Wangan and Jagalingou owned business, monitors and reports on environmental impacts for the mine and rail operations.
This includes an agreement to manage Black-throated Finch habitat on the non-mined areas of Bravus’ leases, and the 33,000-hectare conservation area Bravus created. Services through the contract include environmental monitoring and management to support the finch including surveys and reporting. The work also includes land and weed management, installing fences to protect important and sensitive habitat, installing fire trails and undertaking fire management.
Woongal is chaired by Gooreng descendant of the Port Curtis Coral Coast Nation, Tony Johnson. The partnership means Bravus receives the scientific and environmental expertise required to deliver on its environmental management plans, while benefiting from the cultural knowledge of the Traditional Owners.
Growing our future workforce
As part of its commitment to Queensland, Bravus has created trainee, graduate and new to industry positions to grow its workforce of the future and enhance regional communities.
In 2022, 60 new to industry trainees commenced work with mining services contractor MacKellar at the Carmichael Mine. Following an overwhelming nearly 4,000 applications for these roles, the successful trainees completed a four-week paid and structured program of desk-based and supervised on-the-job training, including both day and night shifts.
Successful applicant Brooke McNee from the Burdekin explained, “Not only is this my start in an amazing industry and working with massive, sophisticated machinery, it’s an opportunity that will open doors to other goals like building my first home.”
To build future industry leaders, the Bravus Graduate Program provides opportunities for mining, civil or mechanical engineering and geology graduates
to participate in a structured development program that incorporates 18 months of both on-site work with senior team members and off-site training with Central Queensland University. In 2022, the second Graduate Program intake offered six new roles at the Carmichael Mine.
Bravus HR and IR Lead Rebecca Wells said the graduates would develop their professional and interpersonal skills and experience the best of Queensland’s regional lifestyle: “We are providing great work opportunities combined with the chance to become part of the communities in which we operate and part of the social fabric that makes regional Queensland so great,” she said.
Investing in our regions
Bravus continues to deliver on its commitments to regional Queenslanders through priority employment and business opportunities, as well as making an extensive investment in local communities.
From our Townsville headquarters and a business centre in Rockhampton, Bravus delivered more than 2,600 jobs during construction of the Carmichael Mine and Rail Project and paid more than AUD $1 billion to Queensland contractors and businesses.
Additionally, hundreds of full-time jobs have been created by our mining services partner MacKellar Group, including
60 new-to-industry positions to give regional Queenslanders an opportunity to move into the mining industry with paid, structured traineeships that will flow into full-time, ongoing jobs.
Rockhampton and Townsville are the Fly-in, Fly-out (FIFO) ports of origin to the Carmichael Mine and along with the Isaac Regional Council area are the primary hubs for employment, however we encourage and consider applicants from all regional Queensland communities.
Sustaining local infrastructure
Activity during construction of the Carmichael Project included work to remove overburden in the mine open cut; land clearing and surveying; fencing works; civil earthworks; building roads; pads; the site office; dam construction; airfield expansion; rail laying and much more.
To mitigate any impact these works may have had on public roads in the region, Bravus spent AUD $40 million maintaining public roads, AUD $20 million upgrading public roads, and has committed further funding for ongoing local road projects. This is all part of our mission to ensure that local ratepayers, as well as State and Local governments are not required to meet the cost of any wear and tear our trucks and other vehicles cause to these roads.
In addition to mitigating any impact, a benefit of the work we have done and will continue to do over the life of the mine, making these roads better for the local communities who use them.
Engaging with local communities
Bravus maintains close relationships with regional Queensland development organisations, community groups and charities.
Our Platinum Partnership with the North Queensland Cowboys includes the delivery of the club’s longest running community program, Adopt-A-School, giving participating schools the opportunity to utilise their ‘adopted’ Cowboy as a role model for their students.
Through the Cowboys partnership, Bravus has also developed a ‘Life after football’ program to help players explore new careers as they enter retirement. The program is designed to help players develop and refine their
professional goals and interests, connect them with a dedicated mentor and provide career advice if they wish to pursue work in the resources sector.
Bravus has been supporting the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) school programs since 2018. QMEA is a highly successful program educating students on the various pathways into the resources sector and other science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) industries. Bravus supports schools across the Carmichael footprint including those in Townsville, Rockhampton, and Charters Towers.
The Bravus Community Partnerships Program
Since 2018, our Community Partnerships Program and sponsorships has invested more than AUD $2 million into more than 100 different organisations across our Project footprint.
From flood recovery to neonatal hospital equipment, community pool upgrades and farmers’ drought relief, we are proud of the outcomes of this program for the communities near our operation. The grants have also supported initiatives new equipment for Clermont State School, Youth With A Mission’s Youth Precinct development in Townsville, White Cloud Foundation’s ‘Meals for Mums’ program, Variety Kids Sports Camp, NRL Cowboys House and many more.
Supporting not-for-profit organisations and community groups with initiatives and events within our operational footprint, the annual Community Partnership Program is awarded quarterly:
- Round 1 – 1 January – 15 March
- Round 2 – 1 April – 15 June
- Round 3 – 1 July – 15 September
- Round 4 – 1 October – 1 December
You can read the guidelines, apply online or learn more here
Partnering with neighbours and landholders
We know those living closest to the mine are interested in what we do and how we manage any potential for our operations to impact their properties. We have land access agreements and prior consent protocols in place with each landholder that connects with the mine, and we have a dedicated Land Coordinator who liaises with these landholders and assists with any enquiries.
We also comply with the Queensland Government’s Land Access Code and have processes in place to make sure our employees and contractors observe our neighbours’ rights to privacy and treat their property with respect.
Provide your feedback
Bravus is committed to genuine community engagement and positive working relationships with stakeholders, including the receipt and actioning of comments and feedback.
Bravus ran a series of Community Consultative Committee meetings in the regions during construction of the Carmichael Project and this engagement has continued into early operations. Reports from these meetings can be found on our website.
We know our stakeholders are interested in what we do. Stakeholder feedback remains critical and we have a number of processes in place to collect and action suggestions, concerns and complaints. You can contact us on:
Free call: 1800 423 264
Email: [email protected]
Post: Reply Paid 87586, Townsville, QLD 4810