Indonesian stakeholders observe Australian mining practices

Charles Darwin University researchers are leading Eastern Indonesian stakeholders on a workplace study tour in Australia, which will address artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) practices in the region.

Six government and non-government representatives will observe mine site workplace practices, and form key partnerships and share industry knowledge with their Australian counterparts during the three-week tour in Darwin and Canberra this month.

The tour comes as CDU Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods (RIEL) researchers monitor ASM practices in Sulawesi and West Timor, whereby miners work without being formally employed by a mining company.

CDU Research Fellow Rohan Fisher said representatives also would gain insight into industry practices in the Northern Territory by attending the Territory Natural Resource Management 2015 Conference.

“The tour aims to encourage an exchange of ideas between both countries, where they can share the complexities that arise in both small-scale and large-scale mining industries,” Mr Fisher said.

“ASM can have positive long-term environmentally sustainable outcomes and build resilience in some communities when good practices are implemented.”

Representatives will network with government and industry stakeholders, including the NT Department of Mines and Energy. In Canberra, they will attend a workshop and conference at the Australian National University.

Mr Fisher is part of the RIEL research team working with ANU Associate Professor Andrew McWilliam and government and non-government Eastern Indonesian agencies to monitor manganese mining in Kupang and goldmining in Sulawesi.

The project received a $1.2 million grant as part of the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Government Partnerships for Development program.