Community partnerships in the spotlight for prestigious awards

The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety Awards for Excellence Ceremony will be held on 26 October 2017.
Date: Wednesday, 13 September 2017

Demonstrating long-lasting benefits to the Western Australian community, nine finalists will be vying for the Community Partnership Resources Sector Award.

Dr Ivor Roberts, Executive Director Mineral Titles said the entries are all of a high standard.

"The nominees demonstrate benefits to the WA community and beyond, we are certainly seeing that the resource industry is lifting its State-wide commitment to good social outcomes, excellence and innovation.

"In the past few months our assessment panel has reviewed projects tackling a range of community issues including cultural awareness, conservation, road safety, education, and employment.

"There is much to be learned from these partnerships, and some of their key learnings will be shared prior to the Awards Ceremony and we hope that the resources sector can review their own community partnerships and expand on them to create something that is truly meaningful and enduring.”

The awards will be presented at DMIRS’ annual Awards for Excellence night on Thursday 26 October 2017 along with the Golden Gecko Award and, for the first time, the Safety and Health Resources Sector Awards.

A free seminar to be held in the afternoon before the Awards Ceremony will provide more in-depth insights into these projects, sharing their advances with the industry.

Information on the Community Partnership Awards is available on the DMIRS website at www.dmp.wa.gov.au/communitypartnershipaward.

 

2017 Community Partnership Resources Sector Award Finalists

TLG-IGO Rural Tutoring Program - Teach Learn Grow (TLG) and Independence Group NL (IGO)

The TLG-IGO Rural Tutoring Program is a collaboration to provide ongoing tailored and one-on-one tutoring, to primary school students in the Goldfields-Esperance region. The goal is to improve the educational opportunities and outcomes of socio-disadvantaged students through the delivery of low-cost tutoring from volunteer university students.

Industry Road Safety Alliance South West - Shire of Boddington, Shire of Collie, Shire of Harvey, RoadWise, Main Roads WA, Road Safety Commission, WA Police, Department of Transport and South32 Worsley Alumina, Newmont Boddington Gold, Premier Coal, Synergy

The Industry Road Safety Alliance South West incorporates industry, community and government working together to improve road safety. Eight years after forming, the Alliance continues to make a positive difference to road safety locally and State-wide with the partnership model now adopted across Western Australia.

Swan Alcoa Landcare Program (SALP) - Department of Parks and Wildlife and Perth NRM (On behalf of multiple community-based landcare groups) and Alcoa of Australia

The Swan Alcoa Landcare Program (SALP) is a community Landcare grants program funded by Alcoa of Australia and the Department of Parks and Wildlife. The partnership provides an exemplary model of corporate sponsorship through the funding of community-based Landcare projects in the Swan region of WA, with more than 1200 projects completed to date.

The Budadee Foundation and Atlas Iron Limited

Atlas Iron Limited facilitated the establishment of the Budadee Foundation that fosters the preservation of endangered sacred traditional knowledge of communities living in the Woodstock-Abydos Protected Reserve.

KCGM and KBULG Environmental and Sustainability Partnership - Kalgoorlie-Boulder Urban Landcare Group and Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines (KCGM)

KCGM has been supporting KBULG since 2005. Most recently with their 3 year $60,000 partnership, KCGM and KBULG have worked in unison in a number of key cultural and environmental awareness events locally, including the, Karlkurla Dreaming Culture Trail, the Annual Community Tree Planting Day, The Sustainable Garden Competition, Kalgoorlie-Boulder Clean-Up Day and the Reconstructed Art Competition. A key element of KCGM’s social responsibility programme is to contribute to the development of the local community.

BHP Billiton Strategic Environmental Assessment Traditional Owner Stakeholder Engagement Program - Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation and BHP Billiton Iron Ore

BHP Billiton and YMAC partnered to undertake a targeted stakeholder engagement program over 18 months with six Traditional Owner groups on the company's Pilbara Strategic Environmental Assessment. An extensive and independently delivered program shifted the conversation away from project-by-project discussions on environmental approvals to focus on longer-term environmental stewardship and improving environmental outcomes for Traditional Owners.

The Graham (Polly) Farmer Foundation - Rio Tinto Partnership

Rio Tinto and The Graham (Polly) Farmer Foundation have been in partnership since 1997 when the first education project was established. After twenty years the two partners remain committed to working together to support Indigenous students to graduate from school, enter university, technical education or gain an apprenticeship, traineeship or employment.

BHP Billiton and Aspire UWA: forging educational pathways

Aspire UWA and BHP Billiton are working together to enhance the educational journeys of disadvantaged students and schools across Western Australia. More than 2000 students have directly benefited through the partnership, which supports students to access higher education, making it an expectation rather than an exception.

The Wiluna Martu Ranger Program - Tarlka Matuwa Piarku Aboriginal Corporation and Central Desert Native Title Services, Land and Community

The Wiluna Martu Ranger Program is an exceptional and sustainable Project now in its seventh year of operation, underpinned by a solid and enduring collaborative partnership between three parties. The partners have jointly and consistently realised and supported a vision for the development of work opportunities for young, working age Martu men and women via the commercialisation of land management services.