Communities Policy

NEWCREST’s proven track record in assisting Indigenous Martu men and women secure training and employment opportunities has taken another new and significant step forward with the first of two 6-month Telfer-based Indigenous Training Programs starting in April.

These are the first on-site full-time training programs specifically tailored to young Indigenous men and women to give them the opportunity to live and breathe life and work at the gold mine. The new initiative extends Newcrest’s achievements in creating training and employment experiences for local Aboriginal people at Telfer, and is in line with agreements signed with the Martu in March 2003 to provide such opportunities throughout the life of the mine. Newcrest’s first training course was conducted at Pilbara TAFE’s Pundulmurra College in Port Hedland in early 2003 and several additional courses have since been taught at the college. Newcrest and its contractors currently employ about 70 Aboriginals at Telfer, nearly 30 of whom are from the mine’s neighbouring communities of Punmu and Warralong, with the remainder coming from communities elsewhere in the Pilbara, Kimberley and South-West regions.

New challenges

Remember how you felt when you tackled a new and challenging task for the first time, when enthusiasm and excitement was mixed with apprehension and caution? So, too, are those similar emotions likely presenting themselves to the 20 Aboriginal men and women from Punmu and Warralong who are travelling to Telfer to live, listen, learn, play, train and work for six months. It is, indeed, a challenging journey they are undertaking. Some are likely to not complete it, stopping at some point along the way and choosing to explore no more. Others will adapt, adopt, thrive, and never look back.

Those who complete the program and achieve competency standards will be offered employment at Telfer. The first group, comprising 10 men and 10 women, are based in the Village, where they undertake a variety of orientation and training units designed to improve their understanding, knowledge and skill levels. They have been formed into two 10-person teams in two-weeks-on, two-weeks-off shifts. The trainees from Warralong, about 300km west of Telfer, are flown into and out of Telfer each fortnight. Newcrest undertook the grading of the Warralong airstrip to enable the trainees to travel to and from the mine site more efficiently.

Broad range of work experiences

The program includes education and training in various units designed to prepare the participants for work at Telfer, including small plant operation, light vehicle driver training, numeracy and literacy; activities and experience in laundry, cleaning, housekeeping, baggage handling, gardening, and buildings, grounds and road maintenance. Considerable emphasis is also placed on personal health and fitness. Newcrest has secured the support of its contractors and relevant government agencies, including ESS, Pilbara Logistics, Pilbara TAFE, Pundulmurra College, the Federal Government’s Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations’ Job Futures Program, Ashburton CDEP, Bloodwood Tree Association and, of course, the Elders and communities in Punmu and Warralong.

The trainees are being guided by Pilbara TAFE Coordinator Bruce Keane (see article below), who is based at Telfer. “The trainees will secure work experience in a broad range of departments across the mine site,” said Community Relations Superintendent Leon van Erp. “Our aim is to encourage local Indigenous men and women, who have not previously been given an opportunity to train and work, to become familiar with a working mine environment, and to become more aware of personal health, fitness for work, and safety issues.” A second 6-month on-site Indigenous training program, involving two new 10-person groups from Jigalong and Parnngurr, is planned to start in September this year. It is expected that, at the end of the course, the successful students can demonstrate they can integrate the knowledge and skills they have acquired into a real working environment comfortably, safely and efficiently.