A highly respected Nyamal Pitjikarli Elder has used a Welcome to Country to scold the chairman of Fortescue Metals Group for failing to deliver on promised jobs for her people.
Aunty Doris Mitchell-Eaton challenged mining billionaire Andrew Forrest to involve more Nyamal people in the construction of the Iron Bridge Magnetite operation at the project's opening in the Pilbara.
At the Monday morning event, Aunty Doris delivered the unexpected broadside in the presence of Forrest, WA Deputy Premier Roger Cook and assembled media.
“Welcome to this lovely place, that is getting destroyed. Our Country, so beautiful,” she began.
“I’m standing here as a proud Nyamal. It’s hurt my feelings to see people coming in here digging our Country. We haven’t got the opportunity,” she said.
“I hope we get the opportunity.”
'No capability'
Aunty Doris is Co-Chair of Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation’s Board of Directors, which is the Prescribed Body Corporate (PBC) for the Yamatji and Pilbara regions of Western Australia.
As a Nyamal Traditional Owner, Aunty Doris participated in negotiations with FMG.
She says assurances by the mining giant that Nyamal people would be employed by the project have not been honoured.
“We negotiate with FMG to mine this place, but you know, us Aboriginal people, people think [we're] illiterate people, don’t know nothing,” she said.
She said FMG had suggested the Traditional Owners had “no capability”.
“Even say you have no capability; how can we build our capability? Give us the opportunity to build that capacity, to mine our own Country,” she said.
Speaking to the crowd, Aunty Doris propositioned Forrest to grant her a meeting.
“I’m coming Andrew, I want to set up a meeting... I want to put capability on the table,” she said.
“Give us this good opportunity, we want to build this capability. That’s the word I learnt from FMG, because FMG knocked us back with Nyamal mining,” she said.
Elder's offer rebuffed
Forrest was welcomed to the stage after Aunty Doris, stating that the Elder had warned him she “wanted to say that little story”.
“I was only too pleased,” he smiled.
Forrest said he has a relationship with Aunty Doris that spans four decades, but denied her request for a meeting, saying “you don’t need another”.
“You’ve had many. We will do what we agreed,” he said.
“I’m really really proud to ensure that what we shook hands on in the first place always stays.”
Mining the 'biggest employer of Aboriginal people'
Andrew Forrest, CEO of Fortescue Metals Group. Credit: South China Morning Post/South China Morning Post via Getty
Forrest said the mine includes agreements worth $68 million dollars with Aboriginal people, with FMG designating projects totalling an additional $285 dollars to Nyamal businesses since 2020.
He also noted that the mining industry is the single-biggest employer of Aboriginal people in the country.
“[It] has been singly responsible for the training of more Aboriginal people than any other industry in Australia and employment of advanced, highly-paid Aboriginal people because when we take our welfare foot off their necks they succeed as well as anybody else,” he said.
Forrest criticised the Albanese government for slashing the Cashless Debit Card, saying governments make decisions for “us out here in the bush which don’t help us”.
He said it was wiped in response to a “few whingers in Toorak, St George Terrace, Pitt Street”.
