Established in 2001 and managed by the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism, the Working in Partnership (WIP) program aims to support and encourage cultural change in relations between Indigenous communities and the mining industry, and promote long term, effective partnerships which benefit all stakeholders. Building effective long-term relationships with Indigenous communities is now part of core business for the resources industry.
WIP is part of the Australian Government’s commitment to increase opportunities for Indigenous Australians, noting that the resources sector is one of the few providing employment and business development opportunities for remote communities.
You can read what the Minister for Resources and Energy has to say about the Working in Partnership Program by reading the Minister’s Foreword.
Program activities
Case Studies
The Working in Partnership Program's Information Kit contains case studies on effective partnerships between the mineral exploration and mining industry and Indigenous communities.
Regional Workshops & other Fora
A key activity of the Working in Partnership Program is conducting a series of regional workshops which bring stakeholders together to promote discussion of ways to better develop better relations and outcomes. To date, 21 workshops have been run nationally. The reports for most of these can be accessed on this website.
MCA MOU
The Australian Government and the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) have agreed on an innovative partnership that is another major step in closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage. The partnership will improve the socioeconomic wellbeing of Indigenous Australians. It does this by expanding access to employment and business development opportunities available to Indigenous people and communities in mining regions. The new agreement builds on a partnership commenced in 2005, and is set out in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) officially launched on 27 May 2005.
DIGEDI
Digedi is an Indigenous business service directory for the resources and construction industries. Launched in 2008, the directory lists a wide range of businesses that provide goods and services to these sectors. Digedi helps in developing direct relationships between buyers and sellers at a local level. It provides an easy way for major companies to buy locally and support the communities in which they operate. The Digedi website is at: http://digedi.com.au.
Regional committees
The Working in Partnership Program provides support for regional committees that have formed to take forward the issues raised during regional workshops. At present, a number of these such committee are operating and continue to meet on a regular basis.
Contact
The Working In Partnership Program is an initiative of the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism. The WIP Secretariat is located within Sustainable Mining Section, Minerals Branch, Resources Division.
For more information on Working In Partnership please contact:
Coordinator - Working in Partnership
Sustainable Mining Section
Minerals Branch
Resources Division
Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism
WIP email: info.partnerships@ret.gov.au
GPO Box 1564
Canberra ACT 2601
To contact the Department via email, please refer to the Contact Us webpage for further assistance.