Community

We are committed to building respectful and mutually beneficial relationships with the local people communities near our operations. By working with community leaders, business owners, non-government organizations, government and industry we can provide the catalyst for long-term social and economic growth.

As part of our commitment to enable frequent communication with the community, a dedicated community relations team is based on site at Tanami’s operations to encourage ongoing dialogue with all our stakeholders to ensure our operations contribute positively to the community’s growth. The mine site is the most remote in Australia, with the closest communities of Yuendumu and Lajamanu approximately 370 km south and 390 km north east of the mine.

Social Impact Assessments (SIAs)

Every five years, we conduct extensive research on the impact of our operations through social impact assessments. These assessments include collecting insights and feedback from residents and other stakeholders about Tanami’s mining operation and the future needs of the community across the mine’s extended life.

Tanami’s SIA was conducted in 2009 and most recently in 2013. The findings from the 2013 SIA will be developed into an action plan for delivery in 2014.

Community Investment

Tanami contributes millions of dollars annually to Northern Territory economy through the employment of local citizens, the purchase of goods and services, payroll taxes, government royalties, land use payments, salaries and supporting community projects. We invest directly and significantly in community initiatives that support community capacity-building activities, including scholarships, in-kind support and sponsorship grants.

We also invest in cultural events. In 2010, we entered into a three-year strategic partnership with the South Australian Museum to fund a project to catalogue and digitize Australia’s largest collection of Aboriginal cultural artifacts. The online resource will make this valuable collection available to Indigenous communities and educators worldwide.

The partnership also supports the physical exhibition at the South Australian Museum in Adelaide and the mobile exhibition of the historically and culturally significant Tanami or Yuendumu Door. The Yuendumu Doors were created in 1983 by senior Warlpiri men, including Paddy Japaljarri Stewart and Paddy Japaljarri Sims, who took the historic opportunity to paint their sacred Dreaming designs onto the doors of the remote Yuendumu school, 250km north-west of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. It was a key moment in the history of Australian art, and it symbolised the Warlpiri’s decision to explain the Tjukurrpa (Dreaming) to the world beyond their desert home. There are 30 original Doors.

Newmont also supported the 2012 Milpirri Festival, a cultural dance held every two years that brings together male and female elders, parents, and young people to express their culture through traditional and contemporary forms of dance. The Festival is credited with increasing school attendance throughout the year and connecting generations by sharing cultural customs and stories in a modern setting.

Newmont invests in community programs include support for staff housing for the Warlpiri Youth Development Aboriginal Corporation; the Waninjawarnu Project, which provides resources on nutrition and healthcare to parents; the National Indigenous Music Awards; and the Books in Willowra Homes project, which works to improve literacy among young children in the community.