Mineral Resources (MinRes) celebrated National Reconciliation Week across its sites and offices last week, exploring how it can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.
The 2024 National Reconciliation Week took place from May 27 to June 3 and was themed ‘Now more than ever’.
MinRes took part in the week by hosting Yarning Circles at its Osborne Park head office in Western Australia. The sessions were facilitated by Dooga Waalitj Healing director Rohan Collard.
Dooga Waalitj Healing is an Aboriginal owned and managed business committed to cultural development, growth, and improving outcomes for Aboriginal people and communities. The business also provides consultancy services, cultural healing, cultural supervision, and Welcome to County and smoking ceremonies.
The Yarning Circles were attended by more than 100 MinRes employees. Through the sessions, the employees contributed to culturally grounded conversations focused on relationship building, genuine respect, truth telling and two-way learning.
The MinRes community engagement team also participated in the Onslow Reconciliation Week Walk.
MinRes said reconciliation is one of its ongoing focuses, with more than 1150 employees having attended 140 cultural awareness sessions over the past 12 months.
“MinRes is committed to ongoing engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to grow opportunities across employment, training, business development, cross-cultural awareness and community development,” MinRes said.
“Employees continue to be supported and encouraged to better understand, respect and appreciate local Indigenous Australians’ lore and culture – within and outside of business activities.
“One key initiative supporting this approach is cultural awareness training sessions – mandatory for all corporate employees – covering topics ranging from Aboriginal history and the effects of colonisation to unconscious bias and simple steps all Australians can take to better move forward together.”
MinRes has also awarded multiple contracts to Indigenous businesses operating throughout WA, most recently being a transport contract to Robe River Services for the Onslow Iron project.
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