Newman, WA
*Check against delivery
Introduction
I acknowledge the traditional owners of this land, the Nyiyaparli [Neara – Bally] people, and pay my respects to their elders past and present.
Today we launch the Martu Business Development Unit, the establishment of which is a direct consequence of the full legal recognition – after a campaign lasting more than 20 years - of the Martu people’s traditional rights and interests in some 136,000 km2 of land in the Western Desert here in Western Australia.
The task of the Unit is to implement strategies designed to increase the active participation of Martu people in Australia’s resources sector through businesses owned wholly or significantly by Martu.
This project will link more Martu people with the unprecedented business and employment opportunities arising from the rapid growth of China and India and the role the mineral resources on Martu land has the potential to play in this.
Opportunities from resource development
Indigenous Australians are increasingly active participants in the rapid expansion of our resources sector.
Access to investment dollars, technologies and procurement contracts enhances economic and social development – especially here in the Pilbara.
Few other regions in Australia are dominated by a single economic sector that’s as capital-intensive as resources.
Mention the Pilbara, and iron ore springs to mind.
Just under 40 per cent of total world production of iron ore occurs here.
Resources exports from the Pilbara have risen ten-fold in the last decade.
Projects on the drawing board would potentially lift iron-ore export capacity here by another 320 million tonnes a year.
This region is also home to four major liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects, making the Pilbara an emerging major gas hub for Australia and the world.
Already, the North West Shelf Venture produces more than 16 million tonnes of LNG a year.
Three projects in construction would more-than double that and represent $87 billion in capital investment.
That’s more than the GDP of some European countries including Slovakia, Croatia, Luxembourg and Slovenia.
The economies of New Hampshire, West Virginia, Alaska and New Mexico are all smaller than the combined capital investment in new LNG projects in this part of the world.
Of course, companies with interests in gold and uranium work alongside dozens of operators in the Pilbara.
Newcrest, Reward Minerals, Cameco and Birla Nifty are among those with tenements.
The region’s hinterland also has potential in biofuels, with mine run-off being used to produce small agricultural irrigation projects in the arid inner Pilbara and a new algae biofuels project set to commence construction shortly.
The benefits from the high level of resource activity are already being felt with Indigenous employment in the Pilbara higher than in other regions of Western Australia.
More jobs mean more opportunities for Indigenous self-determination.
Yet many of those jobs are low-skilled.
So we need to find more ways of working smarter, not just harder. We need training and education to deliver real career opportunities for Indigenous people – both government and the private sector have a role in providing this.
Opportunities for Martu people
There has never been a better time to take the benefits of native title to the next level.
The Martu people hold exclusive native-title rights over one of the largest determination areas in the country.
More business start-ups can be among the dividends.
Self-employment fosters self-sufficiency and the sense of achievement that comes from building a business from scratch, and spreading wealth throughout the community.
At the moment, results are mixed.
Indigenous people have lower rates of business ownership than other Australians.
But, on the plus side, they are more likely to be still running their business after three or four years.
That’s where business development comes in – making the best the norm.
This development unit is an incubator for new business.
It will help to secure large contracts with Western Desert mining operations through joint-venture opportunities.
It will also explore joint-ventures for individuals who may be unfamiliar with reaching out on their own.
The Unit’s dozen or so staff will offer practical advice – a good illustration of grass-roots assistance for local businesses.
Expertise on things like management, training, good governance and launching start-ups is all available here.
Under the guidance of the Western Desert Lands Aboriginal Corporation, the Martu Business Development Unit is fully in keeping with native-title agreements.
The campaign that began more than 20 years ago has notched up another tangible success for the Martu people.
Working together
I thank Newcrest and Cameco for their financial support, a budget worth around $5 million at the outset.
Other companies may come on board in due course.
I applaud all those who created this unit, a visible reminder of what we can achieve when we work together.
Developers have spotted a long-term opportunity to support positive outcomes for the Martu people while nurturing local business contacts.
In short, these are mutually beneficial partnerships.
The truth is we need more skilled workers in the resources sector, the latest data from Skills Australia suggest that some 236,000 workers will be required across mining and oil and gas operations in the next seven years.
The Government is working with industry to put in place a range of measures to help meet demand, but chief among these are strategies to tap the pool of workers from nearby Indigenous communities.
Salaries from the mining sector sustain local economies, while life-long skills go on creating wealth and inspiring future generations to do likewise.
Also, an agreement between the Australian Government and the Minerals Council of Australia is supporting the development of an employment model for the Pilbara, which may well be replicated elsewhere.
Prue Jenkins, who is with us today, has been appointed under this agreement to bring more jobs and enterprise to the Pilbara.
Just like the Business Development Unit itself, we seek genuine economic engagement that offers the Martu people a platform for long-term financial sustainability.
This approach embraces many aspects of improving quality of life, from childhood literacy to giving people confidence to have a go setting up a small business.
While I anticipate that initially the Unit will focus on opportunities associated with Martu land, I hope that over time experience and expertise developed from these initial ventures will be applied more broadly, both in geography and in terms of the nature of projects. After all not all of us are suited, by temperament or skills, to the needs of the resources sector.
Tourism
For example eco-tourism and land management offer yet more opportunities.
After all, the Pilbara is home to some of the world’s most ancient natural landscapes.
Newman is a gateway to Karlamilyi National Park, one of Australia’s most stunning landscapes, rich in history and wildlife.
Travellers come a long way to experience the Canning Stock Route and the Fortescue River, and there is more rock art in the Pilbara than anywhere else in the world.
Indigenous culture and our beautiful landscapes are what many travellers tell us they want to see in Australia.
It’s fair to say that, aside from the resources sector, tourism has the most employment potential in the Pilbara.
So the Australian Government is rolling out eight regional employment plans for the tourism industry.
I urge Indigenous Australians to make the most of all the advice and training on offer, whether it’s working for an existing tourism firm or striking out on your own.
Businesses like that of Neville Poelina, the Chair of the Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Operators Council on the Dampier Peninsula, are good examples.
And while the mineral and petroleum sectors will continue to be the mainstay of the Pilbara’s economy, anything that diversifies the economic base of the region is welcome.
Conclusion
As ever, ladies and gentlemen, outcomes often hinge on what we make of the opportunities before us.
With the vision and ongoing commitment of the Martu people, a business incubator, like this one, is timely.
As other parts of the world wrestle with economic instability, we have an opportunity in this part of Australia to make a real difference to people’s lives and communities.
This unit is a long-term investment in prosperity, and I congratulate all those who played a part in developing it.
Thank you