From pay‐out to participation: Indigenous mining employment as local development?

Unprecedented numbers of Indigenous peoples in Canada and Australia are working in the mining industry. This study explores the proposition that Indigenous mining employment is a form of local development for these peoples. We establish links between the literatures on Indigenous work in the mining industry with development theory. For employment to be considered a form of local development we maintain that it must be understood through the framework of self-determination, as this applies within a colonial context. A range of potentially enabling requirements is identified, including effective regional governance, career progression, gender equity and equality, and free prior and informed consent. We argue that, where such conditions are not in place, Indigenous peoples in settler states, such as Australia and Canada, risk swapping one kind of dependency for another: the welfare state for the mining economy. It is important that future research test the legitimacy of these conditions, while exploring alternative value propositions when mining companies seek to negotiate access to Indigenous peoples land and resources.