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Indigenous peoples and mine automation: An issues paper

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  • Holcombe, Sarah
  • Kemp, Deanna

Abstract

The global mining sector, like other sectors of industrialised economies, is undergoing a technological transformation as part of what some commentators refer to as the ‘fourth industrial revolution’. New technologies, such as automation and robotics, are transforming the nature of mining and the nature of work. This paper discusses the implications of this shift for Indigenous peoples and the Indigenous mining workforce. In the past two decades the number of Indigenous employees in the sector has grown to unprecedented levels, most notably in Australia and Canada. The emergence of local level agreements, state regulatory requirements, and mining company policies and commitments are examined as drivers for this rise in Indigenous employment. Yet, the predicted acceleration in mine automation could disrupt this positive trend, as automation targets routine jobs which are disproportionately where Indigenous peoples are employed in manual and semi-skilled roles. There is little indication that the industry is considering the potential downside effects of mine automation on these same peoples. A careful and critical examination of mine automation and its effects on Indigenous peoples is urgently required.

Suggested Citation

  • Holcombe, Sarah & Kemp, Deanna, 2019. "Indigenous peoples and mine automation: An issues paper," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 1-1.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:jrpoli:v:63:y:2019:i:c:8
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2019.101420
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. O'Faircheallaigh, Ciaran, 1998. "Resource development and inequality in indigenous societies," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 381-394, March.
    2. Ciaran O'Faircheallaigh, 2013. "Community development agreements in the mining industry: an emerging global phenomenon," Community Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(2), pages 222-238, May.
    3. Moffat, Kieren & Zhang, Airong, 2014. "The paths to social licence to operate: An integrative model explaining community acceptance of mining," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 61-70.
    4. Julia Keenan & Deanna Kemp & John Owen, 2019. "Corporate responsibility and the social risk of new mining technologies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(4), pages 752-760, July.
    5. Lacey, Justine & Malakar, Yuwan & McCrea, Rod & Moffat, Kieren, 2019. "Public perceptions of established and emerging mining technologies in Australia," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 125-135.
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    Cited by:

    1. Moore, K.R. & Moradi, S. & Doyle, K. & Sydd, O. & Amaral, V. & Bodin, J. & Brito-Parada, P.R. & Dudley, F. & Fitzpatrick, R. & Foster, P. & Goettmann, F. & Roberts, D. & Roethe, R. & Sairinen, R. & Sa, 2021. "Sustainability of switch on-switch off (SOSO) mining: Human resource development tailored to technological solutions," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    2. Sarah Holcombe & Deanna Kemp, 2020. "From pay‐out to participation: Indigenous mining employment as local development?," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(5), pages 1122-1135, September.
    3. Caron, Joanie & Asselin, Hugo & Beaudoin, Jean-Michel, 2020. "Indigenous employees’ perceptions of the strategies used by mining employers to promote their recruitment, integration and retention," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    4. Burton, John & Kemp, Deanna & Barnes, Rodger & Parmenter, Joni, 2024. "A socio-spatial analysis of Australia's critical minerals endowment and policy implications," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    5. Nicholas Bainton & Deanna Kemp & Eleonore Lèbre & John R. Owen & Greg Marston, 2021. "The energy‐extractives nexus and the just transition," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(4), pages 624-634, July.
    6. Gruenhagen, Jan Henrik & Parker, Rachel, 2020. "Factors driving or impeding the diffusion and adoption of innovation in mining: A systematic review of the literature," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    7. Parmenter, Joni & Dowell, Kia & Holcombe, Sarah & Alexander, Rowena, 2023. "Aboriginal employment outcomes at Argyle Diamond Mine: What constitutes success, and for whom?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(PA).

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