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Vaidah Mashangwa in Australia
THE term Aboriginal Australians was coined by the British after colonising Australia in 1788. The name refers to all the people who were found working on the continent. It is also a term used in reference to the Aborigines’ descendants regardless of the paternity of the children. A genetic study of the Aborigines in 2011 and findings revealed that the ancestors of the Aborigines split off from their ancestors of the European and Asian populations and migrated into South Africa and then Australia 24,000 years ago.

Aboriginal people only became Australian citizens after the 1967 Referendum. However, Rio Tinto was the first company to decide that Aboriginal workers were good for business and in 2012 Argle Diamond employed more Aboriginal Australians than any other company. From there on, the mining industry in Australia has continued to employ the Aborigines and some of them are in key decision making positions.

The mining industry in Australia ensures that the Aboriginal people living close to the mine sites are employed even if they have no experience; they receive on-the-job training and apprenticeships. While most companies in many countries fail to tap indigenous knowledge and create employment for the indigenous people surrounding the mines, Australia sets a good example of community ownership of the community activities taking place in an area. Apart from that, in most African countries communities are displaced and receive very little in terms of compensation which is not comparable to the mining benefits that will accrue over the years.

The Australian Mining and Gender Study Tour gave the participants an opportunity to visit the Fortescue Metal Group Christmas Creek Mine where the indigenous people are in key positions at the mine including the women. In Australia and South Africa women hold key positions in the mining sector such as engineering technicians, underground supervisors, chief health officers, Deputy general managers and so on. The mining sector in Zimbabwe is male dominated and very few women occupy top decision making positions.

The Australian mines offer vocational courses necessary for employment such as numeracy and literacy, time management and health and safety at the work place. Some companies offer on-site training in a short a space of time such as truck driving, process technicians, drillers and blasters. The apprenticeship courses take longer periods and some go as far as Certificate 1V in mining and Civil Construction. The idea is to develop healthy relationships with native title holders and to give back to the community. Apart from that, the mining companies benefit from the permanent local workforce.

The number of indigenous women working in the sector has increased since 2006 with the majority working in the semi-skilled positions and a significant figure is in the administration roles. A trip to Newman High School in Australia revealed that the children from Grades 10, 11, and 12 are being taught practical subjects such as Apprenticeship, Visual Arts, Dance and Music and Sporting activities so that the children from the start develop and nurture the career of their choice throughout high school. Those who want to pursue mining as a career are guided in the same manner to take up and study relevant subjects.

Children from most African countries do not get such orientation and generally they come face to face with the requirements of mining as a career at university and at times there is little or career guidance prior to that. A student voluntary organisation called Robogals was set up at the University of Western Australia in order to encourage other boys and girls in rural schools to consider mining as a career and to take up science subjects.

The volunteers move from one school to the other addressing the students. The invisibility of the trade, poor learning conditions in the rural areas, lack of career guidance were cited as some of the reasons why boys and girls do not take science subjects and mining as an occupation. In terms of the invisibility of the trade ,it was highlighted that as children grow they see the teachers, nurses, doctors and the policemen but the engineers and technicians cannot be seen with the naked eye hence the need for more information regarding these trades.

The Aborigines have very strong ties with their family members and the indigenous women working in the mines help support other family members. The women and men mine employees Fly In and Fly Out (FIFO) of the mines and air fare is paid for. This is done every two weeks or every one week depending on the shift. 75 percent of the women mine workers interviewed cited monetary and social benefits of working in the mines.

While most women shun working underground and the prospect of being in contact with the dirty and dusty conditions at the mining field, the indigenous women provide hands-on expertise to the mining sector. However, a Retention Study revealed that some indigenous women had problems supervising indigenous men due to cultural beliefs. The indigenous men and women also receive mentoring support so as to reduce turnover rates. At times though, the absence of women from their homes affects their career progression.

What is unique about the relationship between the Aborigines and the mining companies is the recognition that is bestowed to them at all the mining sites. They are given the platform to welcome visitors and even if they are not there, before the start of a programme they are recognised as the owners of the land and this applies to any other gathering which might not be mining related. At the Western Australia University where participants visited for example, tribute was paid to the indigenous people first.

However, while the Aboriginal Australians have been incorporated into the mining industry, they feel that many threats endanger their heritage, river spirits, history and scared sites, land and wildlife. As a result, mining companies make land negotiations and agreements (compensation) with them. It is pleasing to note that the women also take part in the mining negotiations as they are heavily affected by the mining operations in a particular area. Women played a key role in the negotiations between Argle Diamond Ltd in Australia and the indigenous people.

Some of the African countries do not uphold such traditional values and practices and it is high time the role of tradition was upheld in great esteem.

● Vaidah Mashangwa is the Provincial Development Officer for Bulawayo in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development. She can be contacted on 0772 111 592. E-mail vmashangwa@ gmail.com