Andrew Mackenzie | A new path to reconciliation

Welcome everybody and thank you for your tremendous attendance here today. Yeah, I mean, as we've said, I've come to talk about BHP's views on the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the unfinished business between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. But before I do that, I'd like to comment on the events in Brazil last Friday. The collapse of the Brumadinho dam and the horrific loss of life are beyond words. And I want to offer our deeply heartfelt sympathy to all of those affected, but especially to the loved ones of the unbearable number of people who have died. BHP will help and is helping in any way we can. I believe we can and we will make mining safe. But last week's catastrophe shows that we as an industry still have much to do. At BHP, we're committed to learn from what has happened and to redouble our efforts to make sure that events like last week's cannot happen. So before I begin my other remarks, I'd like to acknowledge that we are on the custodial land of the world's oldest living civilization, and to acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land on which we are gathered, the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation. I pay my respect to their Elders past, present and emerging, and I acknowledge and respect their unique culture and their resilience and spiritual connection to this land, and that's been a source of sustenance and strength. I also want to recognize the contribution that they make to the life of this city Perth and to this region. We're thankful to be here and we look forward to our shared futures. Look, it's great to be in Western Australia, the home of our annual operations in the Pilbara, our nickel operations in the Goldfields, in Kwinana, our petroleum operations in Onslow, and our interest in the Northwest Shelf. As CEO, it's an essential part of my job to understand what this concept of home really means to BHP and to learn what home means to indigenous Australians. This continent has been home to indigenous Australians for at least 60,000 years. It's the oldest continuous living culture in the world. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were and always will be the First Peoples of this continent. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are Australia's first builders, Australia's first land managers, Australia's first astronomers, and Australia's first geologists. At Wilgimaya in the Wooroloo Hills, southeast of Geraldton here in Western Australia, you'll find the largest and deepest Aboriginal ochre mine in the country. Indigenous Australians first extracted the ochre there more than 30,000 years ago, so that makes it the world's oldest continuous mining operation. The ochre's rich red color has made it perfect for use in medicines, for rock art, traditional ceremonies, and the preservation of animal skins. It's also been used and is used to make tools for cutting, pounding, and grinding, and the ochre was traded right across the country from WA to Queensland. This land was never empty, it was never terra nullius. Over the past two months and longer, I've spent time with some of our traditional owners as well as indigenous leaders from across this country, and we've spoken about meaningful connection to Country, and the power, strength, and resilience of their language and of their culture. And we spoke about the social and economic challenges that many indigenous Australians have overcome, but still many more still face. It's been a great privilege for me to meet these women and men and experience firsthand the diversity of Australia's First Nations people. It's a privilege because the insights of First Nations people are as diverse as they are valuable. It's a privilege because indigenous Australians have a lot to say to non-indigenous Australia, and non-indigenous Australia has a lot to learn from them. But the voices of indigenous Australians are often not heard. So today I want to contribute my voice to speak about the voices of indigenous Australia, because as I've said, their insights are profound. The Uluru Statement from the Heart is a challenge to hear the unheard. It's the collective expression of 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander delegates who represent indigenous people from right across Australia. The Uluru Statement is an invitation, an invitation to Australia and the Australian people, and it was created through a process of consultation and a rich dialogue among indigenous Australians that is impressive both in its scale and its ambition. As we know, it calls for the establishment of a First Nations Voice to the Australian Parliament to be enshrined in the Australian Constitution, and it's an offer, it's also an offer of indigenous participation in the Makarrata Commission to oversee agreement-making and truth-telling about indigenous history. And it shows how constitutional reforms can create a rightful place for and empower indigenous people. The statement speaks of the torment of powerlessness that has disadvantaged generations of indigenous Australians, and invites us all to respond to its calls for voice, for agreement-making, and truth-telling. So today we want to be part of the response to those calls. But first, let me clearly, directly, and unequivocally state our position, BHP's position. We endorse the call for the empowerment of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. We believe that the Constitution should be amended so that the voices of indigenous Australians can be fully heard. Because the longer I've been at BHP, the more certain I've become that this great company, like this great country, has unfinished business with the indigenous peoples of Australia. And that's why we cannot stand on the sidelines. BHP as a company must listen, listen hard to the voice of indigenous Australians, and it's in all our interests to hear the first voices of this country. Because what they say is connected to the deep time of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. So as you've just heard, I'm a geologist by training, and deep time probably originally was a philosophical concept of geology that was first articulated in the 18th century by, like me, a Scottish geologist, he's called James Hutton. In Hutton's view, deep time was about the true age of Earth, measured nowadays in billions of years, and its evolution over the vast expanse of geological time. But deep time is also about origins formed over many millennia and about their connection to the present. Australia is both a young nation and an ancient land, and it wears deep time on its sleeve. Indigenous culture too is old enough and rich enough to carry from antiquity to today stories about events that have shaped and will shape Australia. Australia has always been a country of people, of place, of story. And these stories are the voice of the First Nations people that connect the past and the present and embody wisdom, knowledge, and opportunity. And their voice demands respect and acknowledgment. Their voice must be heard. That's what the Uluru Statement is about. And it asks only for what many of us take for granted: simply to be heard on decisions made about their rights and interests, and to have power over their destiny. The Australia of post-European settlement can truly give effect to the values on which our democracy is founded only when we are empowered to walk in two worlds, with indigenous culture recognized as a gift, a rich gift to this country. So the Uluru Statement is a unique opportunity and an invitation to listen to the voices of indigenous Australia and to respond to them. When I first saw Uluru five years ago, it deepened my appreciation of Australia, and it was more than just a professional interest. I was compelled to connect with the landscape and with this country, and I saw firsthand the importance of culture. And as a business person, I know that when culture is strong, people are strong. It gives people power as well as pride and resilience. But I also saw disadvantage of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and of their communities. I saw it again just two weeks ago in Port Hedland when I spent time with traditional owners. So I've been struck by the gulf that exists between indigenous and non-indigenous Australia. It's a gulf that's economic, it's social, and it reflects history. We now have a chance, a chance to create a new chapter in history, to create a voice that will establish a bridge across that gulf. Now I know there are fears that a constitutionally enshrined voice confirmed by referendum will deepen cultural divisions and is undemocratic. I don't think those fears stand up to scrutiny. The final report of the Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition, which aimed to recapture bipartisanship on this matter, found, as I would have thought, that there is nothing to fear, quite the opposite, from giving indigenous Australians the constitutionally enshrined voice that they absolutely deserve. So Australia must not squander this opportunity. The statement is the gift it is. It's a path forward, and it can create, as Stan Grant has said, a nation of Australians indivisible. The establishment of a national indigenous representative body, a First Nations Voice to Parliament, is a meaningful step towards reconciliation. It would empower indigenous Australians. It would make sure indigenous people have a say on legislation, policy, and programs that shape indigenous lives and their families and their communities. And it would create new opportunities for social and economic progress. A referendum is more likely to succeed if the voice is co-designed by government and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives from across Australia. And a referendum must be held at a time when it has the best chance of success. But while we wait for that, we must maintain the momentum of this wonderful Uluru Statement so it is not overshadowed by other issues. A referendum not only demands political courage, it demands courage from us all. It's not just a matter for politicians, it concerns us all. And that's also why I'm here today as CEO of BHP, and that's why we will work with Australia's leaders and use our voice to support the call to give indigenous Australia the constitutionally enshrined voice it deserves. The BHP Foundation, which is a charitable organization funded by BHP, plans to invest around one million dollars in Cape York Partnerships' Uluru education project. This is a project that aims to spark a national conversation about the Uluru Statement so Australians are fully informed about the call for a constitutionally enshrined voice to Parliament ahead of a referendum. At BHP, we encourage our indigenous employees, some of whom are here today, our suppliers and partners, to have a voice. But we know we must do more. The statement is also about agreement-making and about this nation's path towards truthful reconciliation. I've traveled far and wide over the past six years as CEO and developed a strong connection with this great nation. We have a land that's been geologically blessed, a population that is deeply multicultural, and an economy that is one of the most successful in the world. So over this time, I've also come to understand the powerful link between the land and indigenous ancestral ties. And that's why our relationships with traditional owners must be founded in the spirit of partnership so that we can all truly benefit from our presence on country. That's why we reach agreements with traditional owners that aim to build economic sovereignty, mutual benefit, and opportunity for indigenous communities. And we at BHP currently have several agreements with a number of traditional owner groups in South Australia, Western Australia, and Queensland. And the way we understand the spiritual connection between indigenous communities and their land has strengthened over time. Because of that, our agreements with traditional owners have evolved since our first at our Area C mine in Western Australia about 20 years ago. And they aren't just about financial benefits. They now encompass heritage protection, employment, contracting opportunities, and cultural preservation, and they're based on mutual benefit. As we gain more experience in agreement-making, we have to understand the immense value of these reciprocal relationships that are about partnerships. So we see agreement-making not as something to fear as a company or as a nation, but as an opportunity to forge new relationships that build a better future for us all. I say while mining benefits so obviously our whole nation, business, governments, and society must now make sure that those communities closest to mining operations benefit fairly as well. We knew we must do more to increase the size of our indigenous workforce and to engage more indigenous businesses. And that's why we have lifted our 2020 targets within our Reconciliation Action Plan to achieve indigenous employment of at least five and three-quarter percent of our workforce. And we're also committed to work to obtain consent and negotiate agreements with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders for any new operations or major capital projects. And all our Australian assets will promote relevant procurement opportunities to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses. But to build a better future that takes its inspiration from the achievements of both the world's oldest continuing culture and of European settlement, we first have to come to terms with the unfinished business of indigenous and non-indigenous Australia. The past leaves its traces in the present, where all histories of ourselves, and the Uluru Statement is also an opportunity for Australia, for business, for all of us to reimagine our history through story and through truth. And to do this, we must listen, really listen to the voices of indigenous Australia, because only then will we know the unabridged story of this nation. As the author Richard Flanagan says, "Freedom exists in the space of memory, and only by walking back into the shadows is it possible for us to be finally free." So what does that mean for BHP? Well, we have more than 1,500 indigenous employees, we work with indigenous businesses, and we have partnerships with indigenous communities across the country. And we greatly value those relationships. We thought long and hard about what we can do to strengthen those relationships, and they must not be based on histories that are incomplete or silenced. And so we've concluded that an important way that we can strengthen those relationships is to better understand the history of BHP's interactions since the beginning of our company with indigenous Australia. As I said at the start, we've spoken to traditional owners and indigenous leaders over the past two months and more, and again back to two weeks ago in Port Hedland, we've heard that we need to be much more involved in a regular dialogue with traditional owners and not just be there when we need their support for our projects. And I learned there that many of our developments that benefit our business today began at a time when legal frameworks simply did not recognize indigenous land rights and cultural heritage values. I've heard the experiences of the Gariata. And we accept that there are many uncomfortable truths about BHP's history. We also expect that those realities exist for groups with which we've yet to speak. So we'll hold more talks in the months and the years ahead with traditional owner groups to determine how best to fill in the blanks and to understand our true history. We don't know what our conversations will find, but what we do know is that the best way to face the future is to hear the truth. So as a step forward, we will also establish a standing Advisory Group that comprises indigenous leaders from right across the country, and this will give our business leaders guidance on indigenous issues and also help us equip our indigenous employees with the skills to take on more leadership and executive positions. We will also intensify our efforts to further economically empower indigenous people within and outside our business, and to engage our whole workforce about the significance of the Uluru Statement and the history, cultures, and achievements of indigenous people, as well as increase the momentum with our agreement-making. So in conclusion, we all have a responsibility to finish the unfinished business that I've spoken about. Because what's past is present, and if we acknowledge and recognize the past, we will build a future filled with possibility for all. The Uluru Statement is a call to BHP, to business, and to Australia to create a rightful place for indigenous people in this nation through voice, through agreement-making, and through truth. And if we respond to these calls, we will strengthen Australia's success as a society and as an economy in a way that will inspire people and nations in our region and outside Australia right across the globe. A more successful and more confident Australia as a result will create greater opportunities for us all, including, yes, for BHP. So I hope to look back on this time and feel that BHP found a way to seize this opportunity, to play our role in it, and that we were part of the discussion about how we might powerfully and harmoniously connect two civilizations in a way that fully expresses Australia's nationhood and helps this great country embrace its unique heritage, and so unlock possibilities of an extraordinary future. The Uluru Statement is an act of profound generosity. This is our opportunity to listen to and act upon a request from indigenous people to be truly recognized. And after 240 years, we must take it. Thank you.