In 2021, following feedback from Traditional Owners, we identified an opportunity to improve the way we engage with Pilbara Traditional Owners and Indigenous businesses to better facilitate enduring partnerships that support local communities and business growth. 

In January 2022, Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO) initiated Project Rise to facilitate collaboration, alignment and support – and more business opportunities – between BHP and Traditional Owner and Indigenous suppliers in our Western Australia regions.  

The small multi-disciplinary Project Rise team set out to triple WAIO’s direct spend with Indigenous businesses to A$300 million by the end of FY2024, increase focus on Traditional Owner procurement and business outcomes, and improve relationships with Traditional Owner and Indigenous businesses.  

By building cultural competency through training, embedding Indigenous procurement team members within asset procurement teams, and improving our systems, routines and processes to support Traditional Owner engagements, in just over two years from Project Rise’s inception, WAIO surpassed the A$300 million goal and spent almost A$465 million with 113 Indigenous vendors in FY2024. A$237 million was spent directly with 68 Traditional Owner vendors, a 393 per cent increase from Project Rise’s inception.  

Traditional Owner and Indigenous businesses are now engaged in a range of areas across our WAIO supply chain, including stemming, engineering, equipment hire, construction works, crushing, land rehabilitation, road sweeping, project management, tyre supply, waste management, and labour hire.  

The lessons learned from Project Rise are being implemented at our other Australian assets. We now have a global dedicated Indigenous and local procurement team, with our global Indigenous spend increasing to US$853 million at the end of FY2025. 

The Project Rise initiative underpins our commitment to reconciliation and supports the Indigenous partnerships and Thriving, empowered communities pillars of our social value framework by focusing on generating tangible outcomes and enhanced economic opportunity for Indigenous peoples. Project Rise demonstrates the power of listening, learning, collaborating and acting on feedback to achieve positive outcomes for our business and the communities where we operate.