Aboriginal and Local Participation on the Northern Gas Pipeline
Circle has been a valuable contract partner with Jemena since 2014, in the Northern Gas Pipeline (NGP) project’s early bid work, and during this time we have worked closely with the NGP Team to jointly design and work on implementation of an integrated social and economic impact model for local and Aboriginal participation on the project. As the construction phase of the project nears completion in the second half of 2018 and the project settles into its long-term operations phase, Circle looks back with pride and forward with hope and share some of the results from this nationally significant project.
Jemena’s approach and dedication to local and Aboriginal participation on the NGP has been exemplary and the project’s successes show what can be done with good design, hard work and a strong commitment from all stakeholders to local outcomes. Circle is proud to have been part of this team.
A lasting legacy of these outcomes will greatly increase the capacity and capability of local people and businesses to seek and hopefully secure future opportunities for their families and communities.
Over the 622km long pipeline, Circle has partnered with Jemena as it facilitated and concluded 13 agreements with Aboriginal parties in a period of about 15-16 months. Circle has since assisted Jemena implement these, particularly the cultural heritage management components of the agreements that have seen senior Traditional Owners and Site Custodians from all of the Aboriginal groups along the pipeline participate in the project in the protection of sacred sites and cultural heritage management.
Executing major capital projects in remote Australia is as rewarding as it can be challenging, particularly when there are complex stakeholder and regulatory requirements to navigate, such as those on the NGP.
We’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the army of people that contributed to the social and economic outcomes that have been achieved by Jemena on the NGP.
Firstly, we acknowledge and pay our respects to the Warlmanpa, Warumungu, Wakaya Purrukuwurra, Wakaya Arruwurra, Alyewarre, Indjalandji-Dhidhanu, Bularnu, Waluwarra, Wangkayujuru and the Kalkadoon peoples, who are the Traditional Owners of the land which the NGP traverses.
Jemena’s major contractors, including McConnell Dowell, Spiecapag Australia, Civmec and Valmec and a host of second tier contractors have played a significant role in ensuring local and Aboriginal employment on the NGP, particularly the Myuma Group, Phillips Earthmoving Contractors and Remote Concrete NT for their commendable efforts in supporting the project and the employment and training of local and Aboriginal people. Their efforts in driving the contracting and employment outcomes has also been fantastic.
Jemena’s partners in this great work have included the Northern Territory, Queensland and Commonwealth Governments, Rainbow Gateway, Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation, Group Training NT, Karen Sheldon Training, Remote Concrete NT, Site Skills Training, Papulu Apparr-Kari Aboriginal Corporation (the Tennant Creek Language Centre) and others.
The significant contribution made by these partners and many local stakeholders is a testament to the ability and resilience of the people and communities in the Barkly and Mount Isa regions.
As Jonathan Spink, Jemena’s NGP Project Director said, the project has not only been a feat of engineering, it has been a wide-ranging, whole of community engagement experience.
“The Northern Gas Pipeline is a major construction project for Jemena.Through good planning, hard work, and with considerable support from our stakeholders, we are on track to deliver gas by the end of this year.”
Circle Advisory was engaged early in the NGP bid phase to draw on our vast experience in local and Aboriginal project engagement and participation. This has proved vital in ensuring that we could define a range of social and economic initiatives, including training to ensure locals were project-ready and the Tennant Creek Social Employment Project, that could be delivered on and would provide the project the necessary social licence to operate in a tough environment for gas development. Circle’s work has continued through the full delivery cycle of the project, to support Jemena’s delivery on its commitments.
In offering 59 training places through Jemena’s Project Ready Training Program, and creating more than 1,100 jobs, the Northern Gas Pipeline is more than just a significant piece of critical, national infrastructure. It is an integrated, multi-level project which provides meaningful pathways towards employment and future career opportunities. From an engineering perspective, this project benefits from the skills and training local people receive however, post-project, these skills will provide local workers with future opportunities to find employment in a range of sectors, long after the first gas flows.
Circle Advisory’s approach for the NGP integrated the social and economic impact assessment (ESIA) and management, arm in arm with the industry participation plan (IPP), the stakeholder management plan (SMP), the Aboriginal Land and Native Title Agreements, Cultural Heritage Management Plans and Jemena’s Social Investment programs.
This level of integration between the social and economic elements of impact management, provides proponents with additional tools to really address the identified impacts (both risks and opportunities) and allows for much greater positive social and economic outcomes. Examples of these outcomes for the NGP include:
- In excess of 1,350 cultural awareness and heritage inductions have been provided to personnel as well as specifically designed modules for senior management and key project staff.
- Of the approximately 1,100 jobs generated by Jemena’s NGP project, over 770 of these have been filled by NT or Queensland locals and 260 of these to local Aboriginal people from the region.
- At peak construction in October 2017, more than 85 local Aboriginal people worked on the project representing over 16% of the work force, and at points over 20% in particular teams.
The social investment programs, which have resulted in over 80 local Aboriginal people participate in training and employment programs associated with the project:
- 45 people undertook vocationally based training in a 12-week Project Ready Training Program, 44 graduated and 33 were employed directly on the project.
- 10 people participated in a social employment project in Tennant Creek involving the production of sandbags, sawdust bags and pipe skids for the project. Significant barriers to employment were addressed via this program, resulting in greater levels of employment directly in the project.
- 14 people from the Alpurrurulam (Lake Nash) community and Camooweal participated in a nationally accredited Certificate I in Construction and Certificate I in Land Management.
- 12 people from across the NGP route undertook a 6-week residential Gas Operations Training Program in Tennant Creek. The program comprised all core units and several electives from the nationally accredited Certificate II in Gas Supply Industry Operations. Of the 13 who started, 12 graduated.
Jemena is providing two of the Gas Operations program graduates further training at a Cert III (apprentice) level with a view to employment on pipeline operations and maintenance.
We are currently seeking to help the remaining graduates to gain employment in the industry and would love to hear from anyone interested in these top performers. Please spread this opportunity among your networks and ask them to get in touch with me personally.
On the contracting front, Jemena has let some 230 contracts, worth nearly $120 million, to local businesses from the NT and Queensland with nearly 30 of these going to local Aboriginal businesses and organisations.
Circle Advisory is very proud of our association with Jemena and the NGP and the work that we have done in supporting Jemena and all involved in achieving the outcomes they have so far.
At the same time, we are humbled by the commitment and hard work that has been shown by all parties involved. From Darwin to Alice Springs, from Tennant Creek to Mount Isa and every community in between – it has been an honour working with so many dedicated people and we hope to continue this in the future.