Engagement with Indigenous Communities
Reconciliation Action Plan
In Australia, our commitment to working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to build sustainable and mutually beneficial relationships is underpinned by our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).
A RAP sets out practical actions and deliverables to help advance reconciliation in the communities in which we operate. Throughout FY2024, we continued to implement our third INPEX Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) 2023–2025, which includes various actions and deliverables to further advance trusted relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and create sustainable social and economic outcomes for those communities. The implementation of RAP deliverables is facilitated by a RAP Working Group with oversight from a RAP Steering Committee. We regularly share progress on the implementation of the RAP, both internally and externally.1
By the end of FY2024, our number of direct Aboriginal employees increased to 54 individuals, and we are on track to achieving our RAP target of 60 employees – or 5% of our overall Australian workforce – by the end of FY2025. The total value spent with Aboriginal-owned businesses over the two-year period from FY2023 to FY2024 was more than A$19.5 million, exceeding the three-year RAP target of A$15 million.
1Reconciliation Action Plan Report and Other Publications
Case Study 1: Djarindjin Aboriginal Corporation: Enterprising Vision
Home to the Bardi Jawi people, Djarindjin is a small remote community located near the top of the Dampier Peninsula, 200 kilometers north of Broome in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
Since the early 2000s, Djarindjin Airport, operated by the Djarindjin Aboriginal Corporation (DAC) has been safely supporting INPEX through various drilling campaigns and in steady state operations, as a hot refueling base for helicopters shuttling workers and supplies between our offshore facilities located 450 kilometers off the coast of Broome.
A key priority of DAC has been the expansion and improvement of the Djarindjin airport, with their efforts underpinned by their belief that economic prosperity is a bridge to self-determination, self-empowerment and financial independence. In FY2011, a multi-million-dollar loan from Broome International Airport to upgrade Djarindjin Airport provided momentum for the fledgling enterprise. With the loan fully repaid in FY2018, their next milestone was achieved when DAC assumed full ownership of the airport in FY2022 – becoming Australia’s first fully Aboriginal-owned and operated certified airport.
Working through our helicopter service provider PHI Aviation, the airport’s operations have continued to provide a steady source of employment and upskilling opportunities for locals. DAC currently employs almost 100 workers, with one fifth of these employed at Djarindjin Airport.
DAC CEO Nathan McIvor highlights the revenue from the airport is reinvested into community programs. “We’re proud to be supporting a range of services which further contribute to our community’s independence and wellbeing – including a safehouse for women and children, a men’s shed, a roadhouse, a general store, community housing and a campground,” Nathan said.
We are committed to contributing to the economic development of the Kimberley region, with the DAC-operated Djarindjin Airport playing a crucial role in the ongoing success of our operations.
Case Study 2: Savanna Fire Management Tiwi Islands Fire and Carbon Project milestone
The INPEX-led Ichthys Joint Venture continued the implementation of the Savanna Fire Management (SFM) Program across the Northern Territory. This program contributes carbon credit units to help offset greenhouse gas emissions from the Ichthys LNG onshore facility in Darwin, while promoting sustainable land management, connection to Country, and preserving Traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge.
One of the key operations funded by the SFM program is the Tiwi Islands Fire and Carbon Project, managed by Tiwi Resources Pty Ltd. This project spans approximately 8,000 square kilometers of Aboriginal freehold land on Melville and Bathurst Islands. These islands, which have been continuously inhabited by the Tiwi people for millennia, are renowned for their rich cultural and biological diversity.
Since FY2016, the project has had more than a hundred Traditional Owners and their families, alongside Tiwi Rangers, actively involved in annual fire planning and operations. To date, 90 individuals have received accredited training to safely participate in fire management activities.
The success of this project has enabled a recent monumental step for Tiwi people by transitioning away from external funding to a fully independent Indigenous-owned carbon enterprise. This transition marks a crucial step in the community’s journey towards independence and local enterprise development. Tiwi Islands Resources Pty Ltd is the first organization that participates in the SFM program to become independently managed.
Heritage Management
In Australia, heritage management plans have been developed and implemented to protect the cultural heritage of the communities in which we operate. The INPEX Larrakia Advisory Committee – a group primarily comprising of Larrakia people from a range of backgrounds and experience – is consulted on cultural heritage matters as the traditional owners of the Larrakia lands and waters in the Darwin region on which the Ichthys LNG onshore processing plant is located.
For the Ichthys LNG onshore processing facilities, we brought in Larrakia Heritage Monitors since the early stages of the construction to minimize impact on archaeological sites in the surrounding areas. We are committed to preserving items of cultural significance to Aboriginal peoples.