Engaging on the Ground: Site-Level Community Engagement Practices in the Australian Minerals Industry

Brereton D¹*, Beach R¹*, Parsons R²*, Callan V²*, Cheshire L³*, McKenna B²* and Paulsen N²*

1. Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, University of Queensland, St Lucia Queensland, Australia
2. University of Queensland Business School, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
3. School of Social Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia

This paper will present key findings from a comparative study currently being conducted of community engagement processes at seven large Australian mining operations. The study, which is being undertaken by a team of University of Queensland researchers, is funded through the Australian Research Council and is being supported by four of Australia’s leading mining companies.

The focus of the study is on how community engagement is being practised ‘on the ground’ in the industry. Specific areas of investigation include how participating sites:

• establish and maintain a genuine two-way dialogue
• overcome public cynicism and/or non-engagement
• understand and manage consultation fatigue
• manage the logistics of engagement in remote areas
• deal with highly diverse and/or fragmented communities, and the power differentials between community groups and companies.

The paper will identify examples of good practice in dealing with these issues and discuss the requirements for embedding such practices into organisations.

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