Pilbara, Western Australia · 2021–today
First Nations Mining Australia: exploration with the Yindjibarndi people in the Pilbara
Mining on Yindjibarndi country, with the Yindjibarndi people as majority owners rather than bystanders. That is the idea behind First Nations Mining Australia.
The company
First Nations Mining Australia is a Western Australian exploration company working in the Pilbara alongside the Yindjibarndi people. It is majority owned by First Nations interests and set up so that its benefits flow to the Yindjibarndi people and the residents of Roebourne. Its approach is commercial mining under exclusive native title, with heritage consultation and transparency to the community built into how it operates.
Its Chairman is Michael Woodley, Chief Executive of the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation. Its Chief Executive is Marnus Bothma, a geologist. Dr Kate George is among its advisers. Adrian Campbell has been Managing Partner since June 2021.
Why the model is different
Most mining on Aboriginal land in Australia is done by outside companies under agreements that pay royalties or compensation to traditional owners. First Nations Mining Australia inverts that. The traditional owners are the majority shareholders. Heritage is not a compliance step at the end but a condition of the plan from the beginning. And the community that owns the land is told what is happening on it.
Whether that model produces a mine is a question for geology and markets, and this page does not predict it. The point is who decides, and who benefits if it does.
The native title background
The Yindjibarndi people's exclusive native title over their country was recognised by the Federal Court in 2017, over an area that includes the Solomon Hub mine. The Full Federal Court dismissed Fortescue Metals Group's appeal in 2019, and in 2020 the High Court refused Fortescue special leave to appeal further. Exclusive native title gives the Yindjibarndi people the right to control access to and use of that land. First Nations Mining Australia was formed in the years after those decisions, to explore on that basis.
Adrian's part
His role is commercial: structuring, partnerships and capital. He does not speak for the Yindjibarndi people, and this page does not claim outcomes on their behalf or report exploration results, production or payments.
What he will say is that the principle is the same one he applies in Lombok: the people who own the land should be the ones who gain most from what is built on it. In Buwun Mas that means local staff, community days and schools. In the Pilbara it means majority ownership.
Read next
The Pilbara page covers the region. The Australian chapters cover his other roles in Australia.