Identifying opportunities for partnerships is a key principle of Alcan’s Indigenous Peoples Policy, whereby the Company strives to build, maintain and enhance positive, sustainable, and mutually- beneficial relationships with Indigenous communities wherever Alcan operates. With strong relationships in place, Alcan is better positioned to work with Indigenous communities to encourage their economic independence through appropriate opportunities for employment, business development, education and training. 

Alcan Gove’s alumina operation is a significant presence in Australia’s Northern Territory where it operates on land owned by Indigenous Peoples under special-purpose lease arrangements. Developing and maintaining collaborative relationships with the Traditional Land Owners is critical to preserving continued access, and maintaining Alcan’s reputation as a welcome community partner. 

In Northern Queensland, concerted efforts over many years to foster relationships have been supported by an overall framework agreement – the Ely Bauxite Mining Project Agreement (EBMPA) – signed by Alcan, six Traditional Owners groups, and other community representatives. The agreement includes a mutual commitment to cooperation, coordination and communication. 

The goodwill generated has laid the groundwork for many successful partnership initiatives and the development of opportunities with mutual benefits. The following provides some detail for the many examples of successful partnerships and initiatives in place that contribute to a sustainable future for Alcan and its Indigenous community partners in Australia.

Training and Development
As part of Alcan’s commitments through the EBMPA, an Alcan Apprenticeship Scheme and Alcan Education Assistance (Bursary Scheme) have been in place since 1999 when the first members of the local Indigenous community participated. By December 2006, the seven apprentices who had graduated were all working in their chosen trades. A total of 21 apprenticeships have been awarded since the beginning of the Scheme. Over 30 people have been awarded support through the Alcan Education Assistance (Bursary Scheme) over the same period. Of these bursary recipients, five have attained Bachelor of Education degrees, while others have obtained diplomas, certificates and completed high school. Others are still completing their chosen field of education.

In Gove, training opportunities have been made available through the YNOTS Training Program, a partnership launched in 2001 with Yirrkala Business Enterprises (YBE), a local Indigenous-owned company, along with 50% funding from both the federal and state governments in Australia. YNOTS made significant achievements on site, where trainees learned a number of skills.

More recently, with representatives from the Yolngu (the Indigenous Traditional Land Owners), including previous YNOTS graduates, a new approach has been developed. Through the Alcan Learning, Education and Regional Training (ALERT) Program, training will be provided for both life and work skills needed and identified by the Yolngu people to successfully take their place in the mainstream workforce. The program, launched in July 2007, has resulted from extensive collaboration among the Yolngu people, their organizations, Alcan, and the Commonwealth and Northern Territory Governments.  

The main change from the original YNOTS is that training will be extended to fit with what each individual trainee needs to learn. It is also designed to suit the needs of individual trainees in a culturally-sensitive environment. ALERT is designed with three stages of training that involve: Life Skills (Work Prep); Work Skills (Work Ready); and Full-time participation in a local Labour Pool through supervised work teams (Work Starts). Focused on enabling members of the Yolngu community to gain permanent employment with a recognized career progression, ALERT will offer trainees the opportunity to work for Alcan or other local employers. A component of ALERT will also identify and support high potential trainees with financial assistance through bursaries to continue their education. Building on the success of the earlier YNOTS program, ALERT will increase the potential to build a locally based skilled workforce, of benefit to both Alcan and the local Yolngu people seeking mainstream employment that respects their cultural needs, thus sustaining the important social fabric of their community.

Overall, through various initiatives, approximately AUD800,000 per year is being funded by Alcan for training and apprenticeship programs for members of the local Indigenous community.

Development of Local Business and Employment Opportunities
Deltareef
Deltareef is a family-owned business offering building services in the region with a focus on providing long-term sustainable employment and training for the local Indigenous population. The goal of Deltareef is to have a quality Indigenous Peoples building team in the region, offering viable and sustainable employment for Yolngu people. Among the skills learned by Deltareef workers on site are welding, drilling, machinery operation, measuring, cutting with hand and power tools, and other general building skills. Deltareef has ongoing work contracts with Alcan, one of which is a Housing Improvement Program that includes a large requirement for labour with building/construction skills. The work is structured so that supervisors can easily provide training while still maintaining quality – a core principle for Deltareef operations.

Malpi Village
Malpi Village, an AUD10.2 million residential complex, is the first commercial housing venture of Bunuwal Investments Pty Ltd (an Indigenous-owned business) and is also the first Indigenous-owned residential subdivision on traditional land in the Northern Territory. It was officially opened in March 2006 by the Housing Minister of the Northern Territory Government. Seed funding for the project came from the sale to Alcan, at commercial rates, of the quarry and brickworks located on Rirratjingu-owned land (one of the area’s Indigenous clan groups). The initiative is a partnership between Alcan Gove, Bunuwal Investments and the Northern Territory Government, together with support from the Aboriginal Benefits Association. Development of the Malpi Village is a concrete expression of a vision in which successful operation of Indigenous businesses, with families working together, is one way that Indigenous people gain independence, security and sustainability for the future.

Tourism in the Bawaka Homelands
Through the provision of vehicles and other support, Alcan is contributing to an initiative to develop a tourism industry, being undertaken by the Indigenous Peoples of the Bawaka Homelands. The initiative is based on sharing the stories and the culture of the Yolngu people, and inviting visitors to take part in traditional activities, offering visitors a unique insight into, and appreciation of, a way of life that has been in place for thousands of years. Visitors taking part in the program have choices of activities that include cultural awareness sessions, archaeology of the area, bird watching, appreciation of native local foods, photography and arts and craft. Alcan is also supporting the initiative by providing information on the tours to employees and sponsoring those employees who take part.

Perkins Shipping and Alcan YNOTS Labour Pool
Perkins Shipping, one of the largest privately-owned companies in the Northern Territory, operates on-demand shipping services throughout northern Australia and beyond and provides regular service to the dedicated terminal at Gove. The Indigenous Peoples participating in the Alcan-funded YNOTS Indigenous training program (the “Labour Pool”) are frequently employed by Perkins Shipping, and opportunities for such work placements have increased since Alcan’s major Gove Expansion Project (G3). Recently, workers from the Labour Pool have been unloading Pre Assembled Modules (PAMs) for G3 from Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia Newcastle and Darwin. Up to 80% of the shipping work for G3 has been done by the Labour Pool.

Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association and Land Care
The Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association (YDCA) represents approximately 800 residents from 12 Indigenous clan groups living and working in a traditional community. The YDCA supports the welfare and development of the community and the provision of direct aid to those in need. Its activities are also aimed at helping to maintain and develop traditional, cultural and other recreational activities and to manage the development of community land including the provision of public housing. YDCA also plays an important role in encouraging successful business and employment opportunities and it is involved in training and education geared towards those services required by the community.

YDCA has a strong and important mutually-beneficial relationship with Alcan. Three main areas of the relationship have ensured the growth of YDCA and assisted Alcan in the implementation of its community development initiatives. These three areas involve partnerships in projects and infrastructure development, social responsibility and business development. Examples of the partnerships include the redevelopment of a banana farm, providing concrete for basketball courts, and providing equipment for community infrastructure projects and the Bawaka tourism initiative. The G3 expansion has also created many opportunities for YDCA through contracts with Alcan that are beneficial to both, contributing to a successful future for YDCA while enabling Alcan’s needs to be served locally. Currently, YDCA is providing 30 workers (Indigenous and non-Indigenous) for on-site full-time positions to Alcan for G3-related work. A further benefit is that because of the experience its workers have gained from working on G3, YDCA has acquired other significant contract work in the area.

Cross Cultural Awareness
With strong social values and a desire to minimize any social impacts related to the necessary influx of project workers during Alcan’s major Gove Expansion Project (G3), the Company developed a Cross Cultural Awareness Course as a first step toward increased awareness of issues facing Indigenous people. Developed to help bridge an understanding between cultures, Alcan Gove worked with the Yothu Yindi Foundation (a non-profit Indigenous organization) to design and deliver the course, which all employees are expected to attend. It helps integrate Alcan employees into the community by promoting a greater understanding and appreciation of the local Yolngu people and culture. In 2006, more than 1,000 individuals attended the course, in addition to the 2,275 employees who attended in 2003-2005.

Overall, the mutually-beneficial relationships and partnerships that Alcan has built over the years with Australia’s Indigenous Peoples are highly regarded by both parties and continue to be actively fostered in many ways. Mutual benefits are many, both tangible and of a broader nature.

While this case study focuses on the social dimension of sustainability, information on activities with Indigenous Peoples that relate to the environmental dimensions of Alcan’s operations in the region can be found in the publication Alcan Gove – Sustainability in Action.

Value Creation Summary
Tangible Value Creation	Broader Value Creation
For Alcan	For Alcan
•  Will help to secure leases and access to raw materials on traditional land. •  Larger local skilled labour pool.	•  Stronger long-term relationships with Yolngu traditional land owners, Indigenous population, community, and organizations in an important and expanding operating area. •  Enhanced Company image and reputation. •  A more culturally-aware and sensitive workforce integrated into the local community. •  Increasingly self-sufficient communities with greater economic diversity – less reliant on Alcan, with more options for themselves.
For Stakeholders	For Stakeholders
•  Access to Alcan funded training, apprentice and bursaries (through Alcan’s AUD 800,000 annual investment). •  Creation of local business and employment opportunities. •  Larger local skilled labour pool to meet human resource needs.	•  Improved life and work skills. •  Enhanced cultural pride and stronger capacity to retain cultural heritage (Indigenous people). •  Enhanced cultural awareness (for non-Indigenous community).