Regional partnerships
Argyle is committed to leaving a healthier, wealthier and stronger East Kimberley region when it closes its mining operations. While this is not the core business of the organisation, Argyle is well placed, as a major organisation in the region, to help build a robust economy and community that will endure well beyond the life of the mine.
To achieve this, Argyle is building partnerships with businesses and organisations throughout the region, helping to develop their capacity to effect change over time. This partnership approach promotes local leadership and control, and encourages the long-term sharing of resources.
The activities and projects that Argyle supports through its partnerships are designed to improve the life of communities - making towns better places to live in, building community leadership, supporting local cultural events, and improving education and health delivery. Argyle also supports 'pilot' projects that explore alternative approaches to local issues where quantum change is needed.
- Operating locally: Through its localisation policy, Argyle is continuing to divert salary and wage payments from Perth to the East Kimberley. This diversion creates not only immediate economic benefits for the region, but also a whole range of unquantifiable benefits through improving the skills of the workforce and increasing the participation of Aboriginal people in the regional economy. Argyle's preference for purchasing goods and services locally also provides a direct boost to the local economy and helps to ensure the ongoing viability of many local businesses.
- Supporting health programmes: Argyle supports a number of regional health organisations and initiatives designed to address significant Aboriginal health problems. An example of this is the Warmun Diabetes Programme, which offers diabetes screening, education and lifestyle support right across the Warmun community, tailoring activities for school children, young women, adults and grandparents. Programme partners include the Warmun Community Council, the Health Department, Caritas, Diabetes Australia, Rio Tinto and Argyle Diamonds.
- Developing Aboriginal businesses: As well as increasing the representation of Aboriginal people in its workforce, Argyle is helping Aboriginal people to establish their own businesses that can exist independently of the mine. The role of Business Development Facilitator assists in the development of traditional owner businesses, and to ensure that these businesses are able to compete for site-based contracts. Further, Argyle has developed an 'inside-out' approach to business development and contracting within its site operations, helping Aboriginal staff to develop commercial opportunities from existing roles (for example, assisting grader operators to become earthmoving contractors and waste management staff to set up waste management businesses). This approach allows local Aboriginal people with good skills and a passion to establish a private business to develop business skills over a reasonable period of time, maximising their chances for successful transition into a viable business.
The Doon Doon Roadhouse, whose development has been strongly supported by Argyle over a number of years, is now operating and securing custom on the Halls Creek to Kununurra section of the Great Northern Highway. The roadhouse is currently developing an associated caravan park and services for tourists. Argyle has supported the construction of the roadhouse, the training of its staff and the business planning for the tour component of the business.
