Pulling back the curtain: the ‘true believers’ of industry

2021 BBMC CRIB ROOM PODCAST Pulling back the curtain: the ‘true believers’ of industry

Following on from the success of the first season of the BBMC Crib Room Podcast, we found 10 more industry leaders willing to share their stories in 2021. We asked the big industry questions – and discovered fascinating little-known facts about our guests and their influential journeys

Nothing is off the table in The Crib

Room – here’s what we discussed!

Interested in catching up on past episodes? Search ‘BBMC Crib Room’ wherever you listen to your podcasts, or visit bit.ly/cribroompodcast.

EPISODE 1 INCLUSION, CHANGE AND CHALLENGE WITH MARIA JOYCE, BHP

Our first episode for the season was recorded on International Women’s Day – so it was fitting that we talked to Maria Joyce of BHP about cultural change for women in today’s mining industry. Maria is currently the Chief of Staff to BHP’s CEO, but she’s a mining engineer by trade with over 20 years’ experience in leadership, operational, technical and business improvement roles across the mining sector, including a 3-year stint as Chair of the QRC’s Women in Resources and Mining Queensland (WIMARQ) committee. Maria reflected on the conditions she’s built her career on, and the shifts in equality across time: “I had to fight really hard for respect, well above the trust and rapport you try and earn when you start a new role anywhere in any company or industry. I did make sure along the way that I did it collaboratively, engaging to build camaraderie. Even back then, that was a real cultural change in the industry.” “I think the industry has significantly shifted. I do still think we have a long way to go, but I think now mining companies realise that it's common sense to have a workforce that is better reflective of the society that we live in. And they've actually seen that there are huge performance gains to be made, right to the bottom line. Diverse teams bring cultural and innovation impacts that are positive to your business. For years and years there's been that discussion around how you fix women and you get them to fit in. But now I think the conversation's flipped on its head: now it's about asking ‘how do we bring them to the table? What are their ideas?’” “Every person in the industry, man or woman, has a role in fostering a culture that better reflects society. It’s about reflecting every day on how you can make a difference, and challenging yourself to ask, ‘what legacy am I going to leave my kids or those that are following my footsteps to hunt down a career in mining and resources?’”.

OPPORTUNITIES AND THE POWER OF ‘THINKING SMALL’ WITH WARREN PEARCE, AMEC

In Episode 2 we welcomed Warren Pearce of the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies (AMEC), to discuss emerging players in exploration, investment and expansion of the energy and resources sector, and how he sees the next generation of mining ventures rolling out. AMEC’s mission is to open up opportunities for investment in our sector, including streamlining regulation and encouraging exploration in a safe and sustainable way. The key issues currently facing investment and exploration in the Bowen Basin are approvals, criticism of coal, and diversification into minerals – so of course, we asked Warren about all three.

On the approvals process

“The concern isn't about red tape or the bureaucracy or the bureaucratic processes. People are worried about regulation and the transparency around it, they’re concerned about the environment and social impact. On top of that, they're concerned about negative impacts that can come if someone isn't making good decisions about potential projects. The trick is to build a system that has all those messages in it, but still allows for efficient processes to work through approvals.”

On criticism of coal

“The coal industry has become a focal point for criticism and concern around the environment. Disappointingly, there's no recognition of the contribution that the coal industry has made not just to Australia, but to the entire world. In the last hundred years, the simple reality is that coal and cheap energy has been a significant driver in pulling billions of people out of poverty and enriching their lives. In addition to that, now we understand more about coal’s emissions profile and what that might mean. While we might be working on the transition towards cleaner energy, coal is going to play a very substantial part for a long time to come.”

On diversifying for businesses who supply exclusively to the coal industry

“You can’t think of resources as ‘coal vs minerals'. It's actually a question of ‘big vs small’. When you look at the coal projects in the Bowen Basin now, you’re dealing with things at scale and large companies in the middle of project lifecycles. Once you start to think outside the box, you come across smaller operations and they require more of an effort in terms of developing your engagement and understanding what their needs are – compared to a much more standardised processes in the larger companies. So really it is about engaging, and this opens up opportunity for you.”

EPISODE 3 HOW TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMS PROCUREMENT WITH DARREN OLIVER, GLENCORE

In Episode 3 we talked to Darren Oliver, a 35-year procurement veteran in the mining industry. Darren discussed the challenges of procurement as technology evolves – both in terms of relationships and supply security.

Technology’s effect on supplier relationships

“25 years ago, technology was very basic, and therefore, the world was very small. You often dealt with companies that were close by, with people that you saw face to face. What technology has enabled us to do is to have a greater transparency of the supply chain. Coupling that with globalisation, technology now drives the supply chain, which is big and cumbersome compared to 25 years ago. We use technology to acquire and analyse data, and we rely on that data to understand what our cost drivers are, to deliver safe, sustainable and cost-effective mining outcomes.”

Supply security

“Using this amount of technology is a big part of keeping abreast of what's going on and keeping in contact with our end-users and our miners and our frontline projects, people that are looking at all of this new technology. I do see that it does change our need to be aware of where different supply sources might be, and what problems we may be facing in the supply chain that we’ve never dealt with before. An example of this is autonomous mining equipment, which is largely robotic. It’s not necessarily Australianmade or engineered down at your local engineering shops, and that makes your supply chain focus a bit different. This became very apparent when COVID impacted shipping in that supply chain! I think we have to look at our procurement activities to assess how we ensure the robustness of supply, and our ability to diagnose problems in advance.”

Is there a ‘perfect supplier’?

“While ‘the perfect supplier’ only exists in terms of being fit for purpose for a particular need, in general I’d say that suppliers who understand our business, our standards and our goals are on a really good footing to be excellent suppliers. Perfection is a strong word. I'd like to leave room for improvement, always. But those that understand what drives us and what our costs are, and always want to improve on that, is who we look for.”

GEOTECHNICAL SERVICES

DELIVERED BY LOCAL GEOLOGISTS IN MACKAY

Living and working in the Bowen Basin for more than 70 years, we understand the needs of our clients and local materials. We combine a practical and pragmatic approach to geotechnical engineering, using latest in laboratory testing technology including:

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Constants of Rock (P&S wave) > Cerchar (abrasiveness of rock) > Petrographic > Slake Durability Index > Direct Shear > Point Load Index Our full range of geotechnical services include: > Geotechnical Investigations > Environmental Services > Pavement subgrade and materials investigation, including heavy duty applications (mine haul roads and airport) > Slope stability analyses and recommendations > Dam and weir design and safety assessments > Earthworks & contract certification & supervision > Soil and aggregate testings, both in our laboratory and in the field > Mobile laboratory > All laboratory tests are

NATA accredited.

CONTACT: Andy Williams T 07 4952 5455 / M 0427 671 001 E andy.williams@cardno.com.au / cardno.com 71 Maggiolo Drive, Paget, QLD 4740 Australia

EPISODE 4 STORIES FROM THE COALFACE WITH IAN MACFARLANE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, QRC

Ian Macfarlane, Queensland Resource Council’s Chief Executive, former politician and longstanding advocate for the resources industry and regional Queensland in general, delivered his trademark deep insights mixed with dry humour in our Episode 4 podcast.

The ESG challenge

Never ‘one to stand back and whinge’, Ian’s never backed down from a challenge. And the biggest challenge for our industry that Ian identifies is ESG, closely followed by lack of real collaboration between federal and state policy-making. “I think the major challenge is in the ESG area. We’re particularly working on the social aspect, explaining to people our part in the economy, our part in the society. Imagine regional Queensland without the money that's now being pumped into the community. What would that do to the social fabric? Everyone wants to be ‘green’ and everyone wants to be renewable, but the resources industry is actually a big part of being renewable. We see companies challenged almost every day by ESG or activist stakeholders. I think there are some great opportunities in that, but it's a hard message to sell, especially with the influence of social media."

What legislation would Ian change?

“It'd be the industrial manslaughter legislation that was introduced by the Queensland government last year. It was totally political and was brought in even though the industry has its own legislation. The biggest issue for any company and industry is safety. Yes, the resources industry had had a bad run of fatalities and incidents, but what have we got out of the legislation? Nothing. It hasn't changed anything. It just came out of nowhere. The minister couldn't justify it, but it's creating all sorts of issues for us. In my life experience the way you change things is by getting involved and showing people, not telling them, how they should do things. I don't think threatening to send someone to jail because they’ve been held responsible for a fatality is going to stop fatalities. I think what stops fatalities is getting out there, making sure that the safety culture is absolutely 110%.”

Will Australia ever look at nuclear?

Ian explained how changing politics has affected the nuclear conversation over the past few decades. But in his opinion, “It’s the way to go one day.” “We’ll be producing particularly coking coal for a long time. And thermal coalfired power stations will go for a while, but it's a decision we're going to have to make. There’s no other 24/7 zero emission energy source that we can tap into. It's one of the pathways to hydrogen, which is the transport fuel of the future. You can make hydrogen in a nuclear plant from the heat, or through electrolysis. Australia being Australia, about 2030 you'll start to hear a lot of discussion about it.

I think the issue is that nuclear, like climate, has been weaponised. And whenever you weaponise the policy area, you actually set the whole country back.”

Photo: Betty Seeney

EPISODE 5 NUCLEAR, MINING AND THE ENVIRONMENT WITH DR BENJAMIN HEARD

Dr Benjamin Heard describes himself as an ‘environmentalist voice for nuclear’. As we found out during our chat in Episode 5 of the BBMC Crib Room Podcast, nuclear and the resources industry don’t have mutually exclusive futures. We explored what those futures might look like. As a passionate environmentalist, Ben’s future as an academic adviser for corporate sustainability and climate change seemed well-mapped out. Over time, he realised that the proposed solutions to climate change – renewable energy, carbon trading/neutrality, energy efficiency and the like – were less than adequate to address the scale of the problem. He started re-appraising the possibilities of nuclear technology in terms of his vision for climate change, and within a few short years has found himself as an advocate and spokesperson in the pro-nuclear space, particularly in the technology and suitability of modular reactors.

Measuring our monsters

Ben spoke frankly about the importance of understanding the comparative risks in combatting our preconceptions and partial knowledge about the dangers of nuclear energy compared with the traditional sources of energy we see and use daily. He said, “We must get better at measuring our monsters. Otherwise, we’re going to protect ourselves to death and protect ourselves into a much, much hotter climate”.

A controlled sense of urgency

Canada, USA and UK are already fairly advanced down the road of developing the business cases to include some source of nuclear power as part of their long-term energy mix, depending on their local conditions. Australia is still in the earliest stages in comparison, and Ben reminded listeners that Australia is actually already a nuclear country in terms of the institutional capability and legislative ‘building blocks’. Ben feels it’s important to look dispassionately into how other nations are successfully introducing modular nuclear power into community sustainability and into businesses in the mining and resources sectors. But at the same time, we can’t rush into decisions based solely on ‘targets’ that may not be in the country’s economic best interests. “That’s all we’re talking about here – giving the same conceptual preparation to a variety of technologies in use elsewhere in the world that we could really benefit from.”

EPISODE 6 THE BIG QUESTIONS WITH THE HON. SCOTT STEWART, QUEENSLAND MINISTER FOR RESOURCES

In Episode 6 we met the Hon. Scott Stewart for the first time, so we were keen to ask his views on some of the important issues facing mining and resources in Queensland. Minister Stewart hails from Townsville, with strong family connections to mining going all the way back to his great grandfather, who a Mount Isa miner. His career has evolved from high school teacher to cabinet minister, based almost solely on the premise that “you’ve either got to be part of the change or you just accept the change”.

What’s the biggest challenge facing resource sector companies today?

“The most challenging thing is international uncertainty. We’ve certainly seen what's happened in China and the impacts of the geopolitical landscape there. We're also seeing automation becoming a big factor in everything that we're doing, as is workplace health and safety, with some of the toughest safety requirements in the world. But what I hear from the resource sector is that they want international certainty, although we certainly live in an uncertain world. Businesses want to know that they've got the backing of the government, that we're all working in this space together. I know we have some great opportunities here in our resource-rich state. It's about getting that out across the world, and into new markets.”

What does the QRIDP mean for the future of the industry?

“The Queensland Resources Industry Development Plan is all about establishing a 30-year framework so that we can start to develop that certainty. It’s having the experts’ inputs on opportunities, bottlenecks and hurdles, and what we’ve got to do to make the resources sector really sing. The Plan encompasses all of Queensland’s geological resources that is becoming highly sought after in world markets where ethically sources minerals are prized. With nickel, for example, our biggest competitors are China and the Congo. So, we’re planning to position ourselves to take advantage of these markets. Leveraging education and career paths for the next generations who’ll carry the resource industry forward is a major focus. We don’t have a crystal ball, but at least if we have it all laid out, we can re-evaluate and adjust at regular intervals. It’s a living document that everyone subscribes to.”

Photo: Clinton Bartley

EPISODE 7 NET ZERO EXPLAINED WITH LISA FRANCE, CLIMATE CHANGE ROADMAP

In Episode 7, we dove deep into Net Zero - what it is and what it means for the mining industry. We talked with Lisa France - Director of Climate Change Roadmap, environmental scientist and ex-politician.

Explaining net zero over the pub counter

Putting net zero in the proverbial nutshell isn’t easy. Lisa explains, “Net zero is a bit of a balancing act. If you're a company looking at your emissions on one side of the ledger and then looking at the whole offset toy box in front of you. There’s a long list: • looking at your choice of electricity, renewables or black electricity or a mix • looking at your waste products and how you deal with them • taking all of your emissions and simply offsetting it with initiatives like: o tree planting o carbon sequestration o carbon capture and storage Industry and shareholders are driving the push towards net zero, which is generally accepted as inevitable. Lisa urges her clients to take the long view, with small steps starting now as a more viable option than waiting till the deadlines are close.

Planning the way to net zero

Making the maximum use of operational data analytics and machinery diagnostics is non-negotiable as part of accounting for a business’s current carbon footprint and inventory. Once a realistic picture is in place, calculating the ‘carbon curve’ and planning how to implement changes becomes achievable. Lisa explained, “It's a bit of ‘choose your own adventure’. You can choose an activity to change, for example, the next time fleet needs renewing. You implement those activities at a time that suits your business - it makes it easy for a company, and particularly their board, to consider what they're going to spend their money on and how they're going to transition towards net zero over time.”

Communicating the net zero wins

Lisa maintains that education is the key. She commented, “You'd be hard-pressed finding people who understand the difference between thermal coal, met coal and coal seam gas. We've got education on what our products are used for, and this is how we're reducing the carbon footprint for our products. There's still going to be demand out there. In some cases, the demand is increasing. People need to know that the industry is taking this seriously.”

EPISODE 8 INDIGENOUS WOMEN IN MINING WITH FLORENCE DRUMMOND, IWIMRA

Florence created her organisation in 2017 to raise the profile of Indigenous women in our sector, and she’s been going from strength to strength ever since. Indigenous Women in Mining and Resources Australia, or IWIMRA as it’s known, is the first organisation of its kind specifically dedicated to ensuring the visibility, voice and participation of Indigenous women in our sector.

‘Sliding doors’ lead to opportunity

Born in North Queensland, and a long-time resident of Weipa (after a stint in Melbourne), saw Florence saying ‘yes’ to job opportunities in mining construction as they came up. IWIMRA was born, and Florence began to see wider possibilities for influencing the career paths of indigenous women. “So, we now find where we sit the most, or fit the most, is around retention. Also thinking bigger and out of the box: how do we connect across the nation with other companies and sectors, but also internationally.”

Building for more Indigenous women in mining

Being a natural ‘big thinker’ has paid dividends. IWIMRA is now developing a stronger consultancy base. From Indigenous women’s perspective, building understand of ways to bring their whole selves, complete with culture, into the workplace. And from the company side, working to influence structural changes in the value chain, from the exploration phase right through to operations.

Identifying communication challenges

If Florence could change one thing for Indigenous women in mining, it would be around the simple concept of networking. She says, “There’s a lot of fragility around language – the language we use and how we communicate with each other. It’s simple, yes, but more participation in networking events means women get to learn that other people have similar stories. It would influence our language, our relationships, and essentially the industry.”

EPISODE 10 PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY AND BIG LESSONS WITH ANTON GUINEA

Anton Guinea’s current career was built on misfortune – a near-fatal accident while working as an electrician left him with an urgent mission to help ensure others avoid similar accidents – and not just from the physical aspects of safety. Physical safety is strongly enculturated in every industrial workplace – both through regulation and duty of care commitments. Psychological safety is a newer concept, but the correlations between psychological safety and increased physical safety outcomes are hard to ignore, says Anton. He explains the concept of psychological safety as, “the understanding that people bring their whole selves to work … people are emotions in skin, and as leaders we can help them to have a better emotional experience at work. If people feel emotionally relaxed and strong enough to take better care of their physical safety, there’s an improved outcome because they don’t feel rushed, or pressured to do something out of their comfort zone.” Anton teaches specific skills around resilience and emotional intelligence, after surveying the state of an organisation’s current safety culture. He addresses management in particular and asks the hard questions. Is it okay to say something and speak up? Do the team and the management say thanks and openly receive feedback, or not? He maintains that management must develop enough resilience to lead under pressure. Anton also discussed the effect of the industrial manslaughter laws in the light of the industry’s sad fatality statistics – improving slowly, although even one is too many. Unfortunately, an effect of the legislation is increased reluctance to take responsibility and make a decision, and this is why Anton puts his energy and passion into training people to develop enough resilience to lead under pressure. 