Remote Australia Online

Indigenous people and their communities are often critical actors in resource development networks dominated by large-scale private and public sector organizations. Development policies and projects have often been contentious in Australia because lands on which development has occurred or been proposed are frequently areas of spiritual and traditional significance to Aboriginal people. Conflicts over development are therefore intense, occur in the context of a history of social and political exploitation of Aboriginal people, and focus on issues of symbolic value, local autonomy, power, and participation in planning. This article applies social assessment models recognizing resource development as a power network to the analysis of the social impacts of development and focuses on the political involvement of local communities as basic to social justice. Research results suggest that social impact assessments should include assessments of community competency to participate in corporate resource development networks and should study the institutional basis of local participation.

This report documents research that aimed to project the key skills required by the minerals sector for major commodities in Australia from 2005 to 2015 and was based on predicted production levels to 2015. It also examined the capacity of the economy to respond to increased future labour demand from the minerals sector. All regions and States of Australia were included for the major commodities of iron ore, coal, bauxite/alumina, gold, nickel, lead/zinc, copper and uranium. The following key questions were addressed: For each State and for each major commodity, what is the projected demand for labour over the next 10 years? What are the key skills that will be required in each of the main commodities and different operational activities over the next 10 years? What is the projected supply of labour at a national level to 2015, and how does this compare to projected labour demand within the minerals sector? The research found that labour shortages are likely to significantly impede the growth of the mineral sector over the next decade. It suggests that the sector is facing is ‘a people shortage rather than a skills shortage per se’ and will need to attract people to the industry. It recommends that the industry would need to: promote a broader understanding of the aspects of the labour shortage to foster broader support for policies to deal with the problem; investigate ways of accommodating pressure on compression of wage differentials especially between professional and non-professional employees; focus on the development of appropriate training systems, with a particular emphasis on designing systems for quality on-the-job training provision; identify and target alternative labour reservoirs to meet the large shortfall of workers, e.g. available labour with broadly compatible skill sets from the declining manufacturing sector, women, people in rural, regional and remote communities, including Indigenous communities, living close to mining sites, and imported labour from outside of Australia, although the long-term implications of this must be investigated and should not replace the development of the local workforce. It also recommends that the resources sector develop an understanding and expertise in determinants of labour supply in the Australian economy. The report outlines the methodology and assumptions used in calculating the employment estimates, draws on the BIS Shrapnel forecasts to explore the different commodity groups and provide an overview of employment growth to 2015, provides information on the number of people required in the sector by 2015, broken down by the major commodity groups and operational activities, and skills that are likely be required, and examines the capacity of the economy-wide labour market (supply indicator) to respond to the demand for labour within the minerals resources sector.

CSIRO’s report, Social dimensions of mining in Australia – understanding the minerals industry as a social landscape, provides an overview of recent literature, explores current research and industry perspectives, and identifies research gaps. The literature review identified a broad range of categories of interest including governance and regulation, Indigenous and developer perspectives, community engagement and development, labour relations, and interpretations of sustainable development and social licence to operate.

This report presents the findings of the Minerals Industry Indigenous Employment Research Project, a collaborative research project between The Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining (CSRM) at the University of Queensland, Rio Tinto and other companies that have been active in the field of Indigenous employment. Key objectives of the project were to: > inform the minerals industry and policy makers about key trends and issues relating to Indigenous employment in the minerals industry > develop a toolkit to assist mining companies achieve improved Indigenous employment outcomes > develop a standard framework for evaluating and comparing the Indigenous employment practices of mining operations > facilitate the sharing of good practice within the industry. The study involved 12 site visits, 113 face-to-face interviews, a practitioners’ workshop, a review of published and unpublished research, and the collection and analysis of a comprehensive array of site data, including internal company reports and employment statistics.

Companies involved in resource development in Australia face problems similar to those found in remote areas of Canada. In the late 1980s the proliferation of gold mining activities in Western Australia was largely responsible for growth of long-distance commuting in Australia. From the standpoint of the mining companies, the system offers considerable cost savings over the conventional alternative of building permanent accommodation for workers and their families in outback regions of Australia. However, long-distance commuting also raises important policy implications for governments attempting to promote regional development.

The Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD) Project is an independent two-year project of research and consultation seeking to understand how the mining and minerals sector can contribute to the global transition to sustainable development. MMSD is a project of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) commissioned by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WNCSD).

Mining companies have been criticized for their complicity in the human rights abuses of people and indigenous populations at risk. This report provides a background and examines issues related to specific points of conflict concerning human rights where mining companies find themselves involved, specifically: the use of security companies to protect operations; the rights of indigenous people in the areas of mining operations; issues of conflict revolving around labour rights, especially the rights to organize; issues of pariah (or failing) states, such as Burma which are human rights abusers; and issues of conflict between sub-jurisdictions and national jurisdiction, and to what extent the mining company is subject to one or another when the two are in conflict. The principal reasons why the issue of human rights and the minerals industry is important were identified. The discussion points were organized into four major topics that define the issues and examine trends: (i) the role and responsibilities of a corporation for human rights; (ii) formal codes of practice, existing guidelines, voluntary initiatives, monitoring and reporting practices, regulatory framework, and information related to human rights issues; (iii) role and responsibilities of others; and (iv) trends and emerging issues. Several case histories were examined to see what rights issues were involved. As the issues were closely examined, the more complex they seemed, and the less pristine the parties appeared. It is unreasonable to expect simple conclusions. The importance lies in the very complexity of the issues. Looking at a variety of real cases confirmed the intricacy of the issues. These issues are so difficult and important to both the minerals industry and society that they merit an assessment of potential long-range strategies to develop meaningful and attainable methodologies to satisfy the demands of all segments of society and the interests of the broad range of stakeholders.

The Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD) Project is an independent two-year project of research and consultation seeking to understand how the mining and minerals sector can contribute to the global transition to sustainable development. MMSD is a project of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) commissioned by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WNCSD). MMSD ended with the completion of its final report "Breaking New Ground: Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development". The Project's office is now closed and no further research or consultation activities will take place and news bulletins will no longer be produced. Within the MMSD Final Report "Breaking New Ground: Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development" there is a chapter on 'Local Communities and Mines' (Chapter 9) with a sub-section on Fly-in/Fly-out Operations. Most of this chapter discusses social implications associated with mining in developing countries; however there may be some sections of relevance other than the FIFO section. For example, (a) the subsection on "Maximising Mining's Contribution to Communities" which gives a brief overview of findings from the MMSD workshops, etc (see pp. 208-209) (b) the subsection on "Revenue Distribution and Use" which discusses examples from Australia, using the Northern Land Council and Queensland's Aboriginal Land Act (see p.211). Fly-in/Fly-out Operations: This is a very brief sub-section discussing that fact that FIFO is evident in Canada and Australia. The closed Kimberley Mine in Canada is used as a case study. A very brief, broad analysis is provided about the positive and negative effects of FIFO (see pp. 221-222). available at: http://www.iied.org/mmsd-final-report

Although the relationship between job and life satisfaction has attracted much attention, little research has been undertaken in geographically remote settings. This study addresses this deficiency by testing a causal model that incorporates job-related, personal, environmental and community-related variables. The LISREL results, based on a sample of 286 male employees from an open-cut coal mine in remote central Queensland, Australia, indicate that the community variables of family isolation and kinship support have the largest total (direct and indirect) effects on life satisfaction. Job satisfaction is found to be the next most important factor, and mediates the impact of routinization, industrial relations (IR) climate, promotional productivity, work overload, family isolation, kinship support, positive affectivity, community participation, and negative affectivity on life satisfaction. In addition, job satisfaction is observed to have a stronger effect on life satisfaction than vice versa. The implications of these findings for organisations operating in remote regions are discussed.

The Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD) Project is an independent two-year project of research and consultation seeking to understand how the mining and minerals sector can contribute to the global transition to sustainable development. MMSD is a project of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) commissioned by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WNCSD).

During the last fifteen years a fundamental change has occurred in the settlement patterns associated with resource projects in remote regions of Australia and Canada. The earlier practice of establishing new mine townships has virtually ceased. Most new projects rely on a "rotational" workforce which is regularly transported between the work site and scheduled pick-up points. These are typically major population centers, where the workers' families continue to reside. This shift to Long Distance Commuting (LDC) has profound implications for native peoples, but as yet these implications are poorly understood. The information which is available indicates that while LDC allows some native people to reconcile their need to earn cash incomes with their desire to maintain elements of a traditional lifestyle, it can also have negative effects both on individuals and on native societies. A number of areas are identified where additional research is needed if native peoples are to be in a position to make informed decisions in relation to LDC.

The resources sector has historically fostered mining as a masculine enterprise, The resulting marginalisation of wives has guaranteed a particularly female experience of the mining lifestyle. Focussing on the wives of men in the professional ranks of a mining career, this thesis explores, from a feminist perspective, the manner in which the structural and ideological frameworks of the resources sector impact upon the lives of women. The project challenges the traditional male- centred story to argue that mining is, in fact, a two-person career The structural impediments of resources recovery combine with conservative management policies and gendered career practices to create an occupational context in which the work of women is an integral component of corporate success. Mining companies thus routinely employ two for the price of one. The story of men and mining is well known, extensively researched and prolifically published. In contrast, the experiences of the wives who have accompanied and supported mining engineers in their pursuit of professional acclaim have received scant attention. The specific objectives of this thesis are therefore, threefold. Firstly, the project seeks to redress the gender balance within the story of mining. By giving prominence to the personal stories of mining wives themselves, the voices of women are heard throughout the text and new visibility and importance are attached to their presence and participation. By so doing, the male dominance of the industry is contested, thus creating not only a new history of the mining industry but also a new history of women. Secondly, the experience of being an incorporated wife is explored in the context of resources recovery. The study reveals the status of mining wives to be both ambiguous and insecure. Though their unpaid labour is routinely appropriated for corporate benefit, wives remain excluded from the decision-making that changes their lives and are shaped into an outdated model of family life in which their personal choices, opportunities and autonomy. are curtailed. Thirdly this project seeks recognition from the mining industry, of the role played by wives and appreciation of their presence, participation and contribution. It was important for this study, that the voices of mining wives themselves, should be heard. Accordingly semi-structured interviews were conducted with seventy mining wives whose ages ranged across three generations and whose experiences covered many decades of mining history. Their personal narratives and life histories provide much of the data for this work. Although the research was based in Western Australia, the global nature of the mining industry means that the collective experience of the participating wives is eclectic, diverse and comprehensive. The feminist focus of the study highlights the interactive and cumulative nature of the disadvantage imposed by the mining lifestyle on women and reveals that despite their significant contribution, wives are routinely excluded from industry consciousness.

A bi-annual report detailing new projects in the minerals and energy sector, including recent trends in exploration, capital expenditure and other related issues.

Labour shortages have become an increasingly significant barrier to economic development in regional Australia. Many firms and government agencies are operating below capacity as a result of their inability to fill jobs. In the mineral resources sector, this has been compounded by rapidly rising demand for commodities and the very remote locations of many mine sites. This paper explores the dynamics of labour shortages in the minerals sector of the Western Australian Goldfields. It demonstrates close linkages between commodity price, labour supply and demand, and resource output. Against the background of a state-wide ‘resources boom’, the paper also points to an increase in intra- and inter- regional competition for labour.

1. By 2015, the minerals sector will need to employ 70,000 more employees than it currently employs to achieve predicted increases in output. 2. The largest shortages are projected to be in the non-professional occupational classifications with the greatest absolute increases being in tradespersons (26,983 additional employees required) and semi-skilled employees (22,059 additional employees required). 3. Projections of economy-wide employment (an indicator of the potential for supply response) in these non-professional occupational categories indicate that they are likely to be the slowest growing, indicating that the minerals industry will need to attract a greater share of people in these occupational categories. However, the challenge of attracting people to skills shortage professional areas such as mining engineering and metallurgical engineering is also strategically critical. 4. Of the 70,000 additional employees required, almost 42,000 will be required in Western Australia, almost 15,000 in Queensland, and approximately 5,000 in both New South Wales and South Australia. 5. The output projections used indicate the fastest growth between 2006 and 2010. There is therefore the potential for a rapid onset of significant labour shortages. Further, these shortages will continue to worsen as the growth rate of projected labour demand remains above the capacity of the labour market to respond.

1. This paper reports findings from an empirical analysis on the relationships between housing and nine ‘non housing outcomes’: community; crime; poverty; social exclusion; perceived well-being (subjective quality of life); anomie; health; education; and labour force participation. 2. The analysis is predicated upon a belief voiced by housing policy makers that improvement in people’s housing circumstances may, for example, increase perceived well-being, decrease experiences and fears of crime, and improve health. While this is a plausible supposition, there is little direct empirical evidence to demonstrate these outcomes. 3. The relationships between housing and non housing outcomes are examined using survey data drawn from a sample (N=1347) of South East Queensland households. Since these data relate to one point in time, it is not possible to examine changed outcomes for those who have received housing improvements. Instead, we undertake a cross-sectional analysis and focus on differences in these outcomes between tenure groups. Of interest is whether those who receive housing assistance have non housing outcomes that are similar to, or different from, other tenure groups, and, in particular, whether those living in public housing and those low income private tenants in receipt of government benefits have better non housing outcomes (e.g. a higher perceived quality of life) than low income private tenants who are not in receipt of government benefits.4. If housing assistance has a significant impact upon recipients’ lives, we could assume that there would, in some instances, be no statistically significant differences in outcomes between those in receipt of government assistance and other tenure groups, but especially when compared with low income private tenants who receive no government assistance. 5. We found that public housing tenants and low income private housing tenants in receipt of government assistance had the poorest non housing outcomes, with the exception of community. Public housing tenants were found to reside in the strongest communities, with ‘community’ being defined here according to the number of key ties concentrated within the local area. However, this presence of a strong community may be the product of disadvantage since this has the effect of concentrating life within the local area. 6. When we compare public housing tenants and low income private tenants in receipt of government assistance with low income private tenants not in receipt of this assistance, the former two were found to have poorer non housing outcomes. This constant is a product of differences between the tenure groups. Low income households receiving no government assistance lacked the level of disadvantage that was present among those who received assistance; a disadvantage that clearly determined the assistance received. 7. In this way, then, when we identify different tenure groups we are pinpointing individuals and households with different characteristics. Thus, differences are a product of the characteristics of the people residing in these various forms of tenure, not the buildings themselves.

CRV 2: 21st Century Housing Careers and Australia’s Housing Futures examines the nature and direction of housing careers into the 21st Century and the implications of changing patterns of housing consumption for housing policy in Australia. The CRV seeks to answer the overarching question: How are housing careers changing in Australia and what are the implications of change for government-provided housing assistance and housing policy? The objective of this research is to advance the evidence base around 21st Century housing careers in Australia and shed light on how shifts in household structure, the labour market, fertility patterns, attitudes to homeownership and government assistance, will influence the demand for government interventions in housing markets over the next 10, 20 and 30 years. This Positioning Paper has reviewed the evidence base around changing housing careers in Australia in order to: • Ensure that all subsequent stages of CRV 2 are adequately conceptualised; • Provide the context for the collection of empirical data for CRV 2. This includes ensuring that the qualitative and quantitative data collection methodologies are appropriate and focus on the key questions for the further development of our understanding of contemporary housing careers.

The extent of homelessness among the Aboriginal population in the Kimberley, WA is addressed in this article which discusses seasonal homelessness; debt andhomelessness; and homeless young people. The effectiveness of existinginterventions is considered and recommendations are made as to how thesituation could be improved.

The AHURI research agenda item that this research stems from called for an analysis of the Indigenous housing experience conceptualised as housing careers. The agenda linked this research to National Research Venture 2: 21st Century Housing Careers, which is a large-scale study of general Australian housing experience and aspirations in the twenty-first century. The Indigenous housing careers research was conceived of as a discrete project that would speak to the larger program of research on this issue. At first glance, there is a limited basis for comparison between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous experience of housing and housing careers because the drivers of these two situations are very different (Birdsall-Jones & Christensen 2007; Beer, personal communication 2006). For example, kinship structure and kin-oriented relationships are important in Indigenous housing in a way that is not mirrored in the non-Indigenous housing experience. This point notwithstanding, an analysis of Indigenous housing experience can be used not only to inform policy development but also to develop existing paradigms of housing experience. The course of Indigenous housing careers in social housing tenancy tends to be a function of the relationship between Indigenous people as tenants and the social housing agency, in this case Homeswest1 (Western Australia). More particularly, we refer to relationships characterised by conflict between tenant and social housing agency. The key aspects of this conflict are housing-related debt, wait listing (both ordinary and priority), maintenance and repairs, and the degree to which administrative processes, principally application and provision, are transparent to Indigenous people. Where the resolution of these issues remains the current concern of the individual’s life, the housing career is subsumed in the constant effort to obtain a resolution. Participants represented the situation of finding themselves outside the Homeswest system as correspondingly being outside the ideal course of their conception of housing careers. With all its perceived faults – poor ongoing maintenance and repair, poor maintenance at the start of the lease, and the opacity of Homeswest’s processes – Homeswest was still the goal to be achieved for our participants, in the main. While Homeswest may become more expensive as household income rises, even worse is the prospect of losing Homeswest eligibility altogether and being thrown into the private rental market without recourse. In these circumstances, people may have only one choice left to them – to go and live with their relations. Despite what they represented as a poor standard of service, opacity of processes and low-quality housing stock, most participants preferred, or aspired to, Homeswest-subsidised housing. This is despite the availability of bond assistance and rent assistance. This is partly because the cost of rent from Homeswest is generally lower than that available in the open market, but it is also a matter of stability. The notion of stability revolves around two themes in these interviews. One is the sense of personal knowledge of a home that comes from longevity of tenure, which sometimes stretches over more than one generation of a family. The other is the value placed on being able to achieve such longevity. Affordability is low in Western Australia and vacancy rates are correspondingly low. Participants were well aware of the problem, and although the shortage of social housing stock might be a strong force in pushing people into private rental housing, even stronger is the problem of affordability of private as opposed to social housing. However, if participants were in work, they might lose their eligibility for the Homeswest housing subsidy. The crisis in affordability and vacancy rates together with the value placed on longevity of tenure raises anxiety among Indigenous people. Participants expressed the worry that Indigenous people might no longer be able to afford to live in their ‘own’ towns. Interestingly, some participants asserted that long-term rental was a kind of ownership, particularly regarding rental dwellings that had been leased by several members of the same family community, sometimes over several generations. Another outcome of the crisis in affordability and vacancy rates is overcrowding, as families are forced to choose between homelessness and living with kinfolk. Householders are under pressure to house kinfolk in varying numbers and for varying periods of time. A few participants had moved from rental accommodation to home ownership. The assistance of family was important in this process. Because of the need to save money for a deposit, people would live with their kinfolk either rent free or at a much reduced rate. Ideologies of ownership in families were important here, as were concepts connected with home ownership. All participants who were currently purchasing their own homes, both on the open market and on assisted-purchase schemes, had entered the market prior to 2001. This is significant because it was at around this time that the gap between housing price growth and household income in Western Australia began to widen. In Perth, from 2003 the growth of this gap began to accelerate. Between 2005 and 2006 the median house price rose by 31 per cent, and continues to rise (Anthony 2006). This followed the national pattern, which showed established house price increases particularly between the 2000/01 and 2003/04 financial years. Project home prices increased substantially less than established house prices, with an average of 21 per cent for project homes as opposed to 65 per cent for established homes (ABS 2007). Life crises of all kinds were found to have an adverse effect on housing careers. The experience of violence, serious illness and the death of a spouse all had the same effect of reducing the individual’s capacity to manage housing-related issues. In some instances, the life crisis appeared to be the result of poor housing or inappropriate programs of support, which acted to prevent the participant from engaging in activities that would advance or at least progress their housing career. Certain practices of the social housing provider with regard to dwelling standards and the way problem tenants are dealt with seemed to create ‘ghetto-like’ conditions in the country towns. Similar conditions were not reported in Perth.

Statistics and profile of SAAP (Supported Accommodation Assistance Program) clients. The Australian Federation of Homelessness Organizations (AFHO) is the organization that works to address and prevent homelessness in Australia. AFHO develops and analyses policy represents services for homeless people and collaborates with services for homeless people, government, and the community to achieve its objectives.

Presentations : Day one: Cultural dimensions of homelessness / Kerry Reed-Gilbert -- Measuring Indigenous homelessness issues / Vivien Durkay, Leanne Stromen -- Understanding homelessness in rural and remote locations / Paul Memmott, Steve Long, Fred Spring, Sharon Kinchela -- Urban drift and its impacts on Indigenous homelessness / Camille Damaso, Kelvin Costello -- Day Two : Supported accommodation services and Indigenous homelessness / Keith Clarke, Bettina Rosser, Maryanne Coconut -- Family violence and issues causing homelessness / Muriel Cadd, Greg Telford -- Youth issues panel : Maggie Walter, Margaret Jackson, Emily Gollan, Ann Weldon, Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter -- Ex-prisoners and homelessness / Patrick Torres -- Substance abuse and its contribution to homelessness / Carl Williams and Tom Brown .

This article tells the story of Sam and John, two homeless men living in public space around Darwin in the Northern Territory. In August 1996, there were over 105,000 homeless people across Australia. The author examines the human rights of people living in public space. Argues that the criminalisation of sleeping in public places in Darwin and the constant patrolling of public places can be a violation of human rights; considers legal regulation of living in public space.

This article examines the effectiveness of the 'indirect' (political rather than judicial) methods of implementation employed by Australian governments to fulfil their international human rights obligations by using the national Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) as a case study. The case study reveals that the main problems with indirect approaches to human rights implementation are the lack of independent accountability mechanisms and the related absence of effective remedies in the event of a violation. Despite these shortcomings, the author suggests that there are many ways in which indirect implementation can be strengthened and urges critical engagement with Australian governments towards this end. Outlines Australia's obligations under the International covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Right (ICESCR); examines the Supported Accomodation Assistance Program (SAAP); ideas for more effective mechanisms to monitor human rights implementation.

Chapter discusses homelessness; historical context; Stolen Generations; example of assumptions of policy makers about 'homeless' Aboriginal people in Victoria Square; foster placements; welfare.

The lives and stories of two Indigenous women offering practical ideas in relation to a wide range of issues facing Indigenous Australian families; colonisation; culturally appropriate ways to grieve, to remember and to heal; homelessness; reclaiming family, language and country; diabetes; family violence; stories of survival; culturally appropriate health and counselling services [chapters annotated separately].