Supporting sustainable communities
Ranger Mine in the Northern Territory of Australia is helping draw up a plan for the long term sustainability of Jabiru, the town serving the mine. Jabiru is adjacent to the World Heritage listed Kakadu National Park and a popular base for visitors.
Jabiru was established principally as a mining town but now accommodates many other people, organisations and businesses including most of the region’s tourist accommodation. The town is home to many Aboriginal families, including the Mirrar traditional owners and an important service centre for the wider region.
Jabiru is currently subject to a native title claim by the Mirarr traditional owners. Rio Tinto supports an outcome that recognises Aboriginal ownership while providing security of tenure for existing businesses and services. In 2004, the mine supported the development of a long term community development strategy for the Kakadu region. The strategy lays out "positive pathways" for sustainable development involving the whole community. The strategy has four steps, including: making property, governance and service delivery systems simpler; collecting and maintaining key information about the region; developing a shared vision and community action plan; and undertaking some basic community development initiatives.
The community development initiatives include: improving governance by building local capacity; increasing the involvement of local people in a broader jobs market; providing support for local enterprises; and developing a youth strategy. To this end a dedicated community managed service, Kakadu Community Development, was established to help implement the four step strategy. All parties involved recognised that the very process of working together had resulted in historical conflict being replaced with open communication and that common ground can be found on most issues.
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