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Mining Exploration Community Engagement Support

Client name Anglo American
Year 2024
Work completed Public relations, and specialist communications

Overview

As Australia’s second largest export coal producer, Anglo American was looking to explore the resource rich land of the Western Australian Wheatbelt.

In 2021, Anglo American began the early stages of the Southwest Yilgarn Exploration Project. The introductory phase of the project included airborne surveys to explore the potential of the land. In order to win community support and future access approvals, a staged grass-roots community engagement campaign was delivered across multiple Local Government Authorities (LGAs) and regional shires.

Challenge

To introduce Anglo American to the regional towns of the WA Wheatbelt and position the exploration project and company as a trusted and respected operation.

To provide assurance and support during the multi-stage exploration period to the various local communities, local governments, landholders and businesses that the project would cause minimal disruption to their lives.

To raise awareness of the project using well established local communication channels to engage hard to reach regional communities.

Solution

Aerial surveys were conducted across the West Australian wheatbelt as part of the land exploration process. There was a risk that surveys would be perceived as abnormal and potentially intrusive. As such the process of informing and creating understanding and acceptance was critical in the project’s success.

We designed community notices that were shared through local community channels including community notice boards, community resource centres, local print and digital media and local government owned social media channels. Each LGA office was contacted and our team spoke with the community advisor to understand the most appropriate and effective channel to distribute this notice.

The communications directed readers to find out more information about the project by callings the Community Hotline that was staffed by Purple personnel. By doing so, the narrative was controlled at a local and State government level, as well as across the media and wider interested and impacted stakeholders.

Results

The inaugural stage of the exploration project was successfully completed in early 2022 with the majority of regional stakeholders informed via well-timed and targeted grass-roots communications. Over six months, we engaged seven LGAs and distributed ten unique community notices across over twenty community channels.