Ngarda Civil & Mining

Ngarda Ngarli Yarndu Foundation

The Indigenous community in the Ngarda Ngarli Yarndu region, situated principally in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, has valued the land and its people for many thousands of years.

For more than 10 years, the Ngarda Ngarli Yarndu Regional Council (NNYRC) has sought to develop local business skills and experience.  In August 2000, the NNYRC established the Ngarda Ngarli Yarndu Foundation (NNYF) as an independent body with a mandate to seek and nurture commercial opportunities that could then channel funds back into the community.

The primary aim of the NNYF was - and still is - to alleviate poverty for Indigenous people in their region.  The Foundation sets about achieving this by creating employment opportunities for the local community and by directing funds back into social and economic areas.

The NNYF seeks to raise funds directly by making commercial investments that deliver long-term and sustainable returns. The Foundation’s Committee of Management assesses all business opportunities that are relevant to the area and its people.  It determines investments by considering whether they are commercially viable, have a beneficial impact for local Indigenous people and are a ‘good fit’ with the philosophy of the NNYF. Most importantly, the businesses must demonstrate Indigenous employment outcomes, particularly the commitment that Indigenous people will play a meaningful role in the management and decision-making processes.

The Committee regularly meets with business and government representatives to source investment and joint venture opportunities.

Indigenous Business Australia

Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) takes pride in its record with Indigenous economic development and sees the accumulation of assets and participation in the mainstream economy as one of the significant opportunities for Indigenous people.

IBA was established to assist and enhance Indigenous self-management and economic self-sufficiency.  It is also required to advance the commercial and economic interests of Indigenous people by accumulating and using a substantial capital asset for the benefit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

IBA does not receive recurrent funding and is required to act commercially and must meet its functional responsibilities from the profits derived from its investment activities.  Generally, IBA invests directly in business opportunities, usually through joint venture arrangements with expert industry partners.  In additional, they invest in a range of core assets to underpin their capital base.

To achieve better outcomes for Indigenous people, IBA has developed strategic alliances with experienced and reputable commercial operators who see the unique and commercial advantages in working with or involving Indigenous people in their operations.

Leighton Contractors

Leighton Contractors Pty Limited is a major operating subsidiary of publicly listed Leighton Holdings Limited – Australia’s largest engineering and construction, property development, and infrastructure services group with 16,000 employees worldwide.

The business has evolved during the past 55 years from the early days of Stanley Leighton building houses and laying pipes on the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme.

Today, Leighton Contractors is Australia’s largest contracting company. It has initiated many firsts – from the first major use of pre-cast  materials to building the first privately funded tollway in Australia.

Leighton Contractors employs more than 9000 people across Australia and New Zealand in mining, civil construction and infrastructure projects and currently has more than AU$9 billion of work in hand.