Researchers from UQ’s Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining (CSRM) have developed a new framework which can be used to monitor and report on a company’s community engagement strategies.
Developed by CSRM’s Director, Professor David Brereton, and researcher Dr Cath Pattenden, the framework is a major new initiative in this area.
Unlike traditional social impact assessments, which usually assess impacts and benefits retrospectively, this framework enables a company to establish monitoring and reporting procedures that address broad sustainability issues throughout the life of the mine.
“It is early days yet, but initial feedback from site indicates that the monitoring system is proving to be a useful tool for both management and community,” Dr Pattenden said.
“Mining companies are telling us that monitoring systems of this type are of increasing importance to the minerals industry as they tackle issues of legacy, community development, and sustainability.”
The framework has been designed to specifically monitor the social and economic impacts of BHP Billiton’s Ravensthorpe Nickel Operation (RNO).
RNO is a major new mine and processing plant located near the small towns of Ravensthorpe and Hopetoun in the far south of Western Australia.
The area is a lightly populated agricultural region, with no modern history of large-scale industrial development.
The mine, which had its official opening in May 2008, has an estimated life of 25 years and will employ a mostly locally based workforce.
According to Dr Pattenden, social and economic development of this scale will bring a range of opportunities and risks for both the company and the local community, and understanding these impacts is essential to the sustainable development of the region.
“The RNO project provides a unique opportunity for us to establish a monitoring and reporting framework that addresses all of the impacts – environmental, human, social, infrastructure and economic, on the local community,” she said.
“We worked in close consultation with the local community, company management and the RNO Community Liaison Committee to collect baseline data that will enable the operation to monitor community impacts over the entire life of the mine.
“This will help RNO and the community to understand the implications of change, and provides RNO with critical baseline data against which the company can reliably measure its performance over time.
“CSRM is already working with other companies to develop tailored community engagement monitoring systems in a range of operational settings, both in Australia and overseas.”
Media: Dr Pattenden (3346 3408, c.pattenden@smi.uq.edu.au) or Penny Robinson at UQ Communications (3365 9723, penny.robinson@uq.edu.au)
