Article by Caitlyn Rintoul courtesy of the West Australian.
Australia’s top mining companies are scrambling to hire an army of Aboriginal cultural heritage experts to help them comply with the controversial new WA laws.
Dozens of dedicated positions have been advertised on job platforms in the past month, seeking an array of Aboriginal cultural heritage advisers, field officers, principals, consultant managers, compliance advisers and planning managers.
The stampede to fill the highly paid jobs has been joined by some of the biggest names in the industry including Fortescue Metals Group, Hancock Prospecting and Mineral Resources.
Adverts cite a need for “indepth” knowledge of Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2021 and the ability to navigate the new requirements and communicate their operational impact internally and to stakeholders.
The hunt is also on in the construction and development sector with recruitment firm Gough Recruitment seeking an archaeologist to manage “the increasing Aboriginal Cultural Heritage offering”.
And to add to the hiring spree, the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage has advertised five new heritage officer roles in the Kimberley, Pilbara, Goldfields, Mid-West and South West. It says the gigs, paying up to $105,000 a year, “will be instrumental in implementing the new Act”.
Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA chief executive Rebecca Tomkinson said the recruitment drive was a direct consequence of the new laws. “As with any new piece of legislation, many companies are reviewing their internal processes to ensure alignment and compliance — this commonly involves seeking legal and expert advice,” she said.
Responsibilities in the mining jobs include supervising heritage surveys, consulting with traditional owners, identifying potential risks to project time lines and outcomes and measuring ground-disturbing activities to protect heritage sites.
An advertisement for a heritage principal at Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting says the position is needed to “ensure compliance with the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2021”. It says the successful applicant will “provide project specific and general advice to business regarding new ACHA 2021 requirements and guidelines including drafting reports, memos, and internal business advice related to heritage.”
Implementing the new Act has led to widespread criticism by farmers and businesses, with complaints centred on high compliance cost burdens for landholders and the potential deterrent to investment and jobs.
Shadow lands minister Neil Thomson questioned why the additional departmental positions hadn’t been established when the Act came into force on July 1.
“I think they’ve completely underestimating the task at hand, and scrambling now,” he said. A department spokesperson said the positions were part of a plan announced in the State Budget to support implementation of the Act.
