A new First Nations trainee program, the Bunuba Trainee Program, is forming part of the Western Australian Government’s plan to rehabilitate the abandoned Ellendale diamond mining lease.
The program, delivered by local Bunuba and Indigenous people, will provide meaningful employment pathways through an on-country training initiative.
The traineeships form part of the State Government’s earthworks contract awarded to Buru Rehab, an Indigenous business that specialises in mine rehabilitation services across Western Australia.
Buru Rehab is aiming to employ a minimum of 12 trainees in groups of four, with the company set to complete the earthworks over the next three dry seasons. This phase of the project will address several areas across the site currently experiencing erosion.
The company’s efforts will build upon the safety works successfully completed at Ellendale in 2022. This included the removal of all obsolete infrastructure and equipment, with all waste materials being sent for recycling or disposal at appropriately licensed facilities.
Ellendale was declared an abandoned mine in December 2015. The ongoing landform stabilisation project is fully funded by the State Government’s Mine Rehabilitation Fund.
The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety has been working towards making the site safe for incoming tenement holders and anyone who may access the area.
Western Australian Mines and Petroleum Minister, Bill Johnston, said that the Bunuba Trainee Program is a fantastic opportunity for Indigenous people to gain local training, skills, and employment opportunities.
“Supporting regional jobs across Western Australia is a priority for the State Government, as it encourages people to stay and support their local communities,” Mr Johnston said.
“As part of its oversight of the Ellendale mining lease, the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety consulted a range of stakeholders including Aboriginal interests, local government, tenement holders and pastoralists.”
