The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has congratulated Rio Tinto after its Indigenous workforce reached 574 across its Cape York bauxite sites in the Far North.
QRC Chief Executive Ian Macfarlane said the $2.6 billion Amrun Project continued to deliver on its targets to employ locally and give back to the surrounding communities.
“This is a landmark achievement for Rio Tinto and what is truly remarkable is 244 of the workforce are local Aboriginal people. It’s not just construction jobs Rio is providing, contractors in the post construction phase can participate in an Amrun Upskilling Programme,” Mr Macfarlane said.
Growth in Indigenous employment in the Queensland resources sector has outstripped growth across the total resources sector workforce, doubling in ten years. According to the latest census data Indigenous workers in the sector stood at 908 in 2006 and rose to 2,007 in 2016.
In 2006, Indigenous people comprised 3 per cent of the state’s workforce in resources, whereas in 2016, it had grown to 4 per cent. Queensland’s Indigenous population is 4 per cent which places the resources sector as one of the few industries to reflect Queensland’s diverse population.
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