Mineral Resources (MinRes) celebrated National Reconciliation Week across its sites and offices last week, focusing on how it can contribute to reconciliation in Australia.
The 2024 National Reconciliation Week, themed ‘Now more than ever,’ took place from May 27 to June 3. MinRes marked the occasion by hosting Yarning Circles at its Osborne Park head office in Western Australia, facilitated by Dooga Waalitj Healing director Rohan Collard.
Dooga Waalitj Healing is an Aboriginal-owned and managed business dedicated to cultural development, growth, and improving outcomes for Aboriginal people and communities. The organization also offers consultancy services, cultural healing, cultural supervision, Welcome to Country, and smoking ceremonies.
The Yarning Circles were attended by over 100 MinRes employees, who engaged in culturally grounded conversations focused on relationship building, genuine respect, truth-telling, and two-way learning.
Additionally, the MinRes community engagement team participated in the Onslow Reconciliation Week Walk.
MinRes emphasized that reconciliation is one of its ongoing focuses, with more than 1,150 employees having attended 140 cultural awareness sessions over the past 12 months.
“MinRes is committed to ongoing engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to grow opportunities across employment, training, business development, cross-cultural awareness, and community development,” the company stated.
“Employees continue to be supported and encouraged to better understand, respect and appreciate local Indigenous Australians’ lore and culture – within and outside of business activities. One key initiative supporting this approach is cultural awareness training sessions – mandatory for all corporate employees – covering topics ranging from Aboriginal history and the effects of colonization to unconscious bias and simple steps all Australians can take to better move forward together.”
MinRes has also awarded multiple contracts to Indigenous businesses operating throughout WA, the most recent being a transport contract to Robe River Services for the Onslow Iron project.