Indigenous Relations
Indigenous people are important stakeholders and understanding indigenous culture, heritage and social concerns are a vital component to the Company’s future success.
St Barbara is committed to ensuring its staff and contractors recognise and respect the culture of the indigenous stakeholders in the localities in which it operates. The Company regularly undertakes indigenous cross cultural awareness training programs to ensure its employees and contractors have an appreciation and respect of indigenous culture.
The Company also ensures that necessary heritage surveys are completed at its sites where ground disturbing activities are to be undertaken to recognise sites of significance and allow the Company to take the appropriate avoidance measures.
St Barbara is formulating indigenous liaison committees with local indigenous leaders to encourage indigenous stakeholder involvement in the Company’s operations in the respective regions. Regular liaison meetings with indigenous representatives have commenced at Leonora to strengthen existing, and establish new relationships, with all the key stakeholders in the region. The meetings will provide a particular focus on the re-commissioning of the Gwalia underground mine and the Company’s exploration activities in the region and the employment and business opportunities they can provide to the community.
St Barbara has created a register of local indigenous businesses to identify aboriginal enterprises that may be suitable for a range of contracting opportunities that arise in the day to day and long term operations of the Company.
