But what is the industry doing about changing its image and more effectively engaging with the community? Clearly not enough if Toni Collette is representative of a generally held view, and if we go on doing not enough then the industry will go on being taken for granted. That's not good enough either, given the huge contribution the industry makes to the well-being of this nation as well as to a raft of nations around the globe.
What does the industry need to do? First of all it needs to understand that telling politicians that the industry is important won't fix the problem. They already know and many of them don't care. Government ministers have a bevy of bureaucrats and advisers to spew out the latest statistics on mineral production and export values. Besides, politicians will say, there aren't many votes in metropolitan marginal electorates by identifying yourself as a candidate who espouses the importance of the mining industry.
But that's not to say the industry should stop reinforcing and honing its important message. The message needs to be sent. It's the “how” and “to whom” that needs to be given some thought and that's where the industry could use some professional advice. There are professional consultants who could help to craft the message and the communications strategy. That's certainly worth looking into.
Queensland premier Peter Beattie told the industry as much at an industry conference last year. He told the assembled throng in blunt terms “to get off its bum” and start engaging with the community and putting the industry's message across in terms the average person understands. He spoke about taking a relative to a hospital and a child to school, pointing out that without the mining industry none of these essential services could be provided. What was his interest? The answer's obvious: he just loves all the royalty dollars and wants more dollars – lots more – to develop the state, provide community services and win elections.
The important point here is if the message is changed and the politicians are more skilfully engaged, including those in inner-city electorates, then they will start listening. They will begin to make that important connection between service delivery and having the money to live up to their promises and, more important to them than anything else, to hold their seats and win the next election. Coming to office on a platform of “hospitals, police and education” sounds great, until the money runs out. It's productive industries that provide the dollars to employ nurses, police officers and teachers. To ensure those dollars are forthcoming, governments have to ensure access to land and finance for mineral exploration and production, which is what the recent industry inquiries at federal and state level are all about.
Last month, the need for the industry to change and engage was recognised by John Dow, the managing director of Newmont Australia, when he addressed an AMEC Leaders’ Luncheon. He emphasised in his conclusion that if we are ever to change the political shape of our industry, we must get more involved in the politics of it. We need, he said, to improve our image within the general public with respect to environment, safety and other community issues – a topic he suggested could be the subject of a future Leaders’ Luncheon. In particular, he said the industry needed to improve the relationships between explorers and Aboriginal land claimants, given that many of the next generation of mineral discoveries in Australia would be on land owned or effectively influenced by indigenous Australians.
Sage advice, but how well is the industry structured to implement an agenda of change and engagement? Does it have a well-organised and efficient lobbying apparatus with all the necessary expertise and political savvy to drive the change agenda? The answer is probably no. In Canberra you won't find a “mineral house” situated on the doorstep of parliament, sending a clear and strident message on behalf of the industry.
True, the industry does have a network of industry organisations, including AMEC, which represents the industry's interests, but this network needs to be better organised and financed to dramatically change and deliver the industry's message. There is no reason why it couldn't be, and it wouldn't take a lot of sweat and ideas to improve on what's there. It would take money, true, but importantly it would need a trigger – the recognition that there is a need for the industry to change and engage and a willingness to take some advice on how that process can be implemented and maintained.
The industry is currently in the political and economic spotlight due to a range of inquiries and improved investor confidence - an excellent opportunity for the industry to take stock, review its past performance, get itself better organised and begin the processes of change and engagement necessary to improve its community acceptance. We might never convince Toni Collette, but we could convince a lot of others, and that's a challenge we shouldn't shirk. Published in Australia’s Mining Monthly
The Association of Mining and Exploration Companies represents about 230 Australian mining, exploration and service companies and individuals.
