Our principles

We have committed to principles that guide our approach to equitable change and transitions: 

• Create opportunity for meaningful engagement and co-designed processes: We will seek to develop relationships with stakeholders and partners, including government, local businesses, community members, suppliers, Indigenous peoples and workers, that support understanding of the issues and co-creation of solutions. We will communicate transparently on the types of changes the business needs to make and enable active participation of those most impacted. 
• Recognise the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development are interrelated: We will aim to avoid or mitigate adverse environmental impacts of change and transitions, while pursuing opportunities to build climate resilience and environmentally sustainable communities. 
• Recognise our responsibility to our workforce: Where a major change in our business is expected to affect our workforce, we will engage in meaningful dialogue and support those impacted. 
• Recognise the impacts associated with gender, land connectedness and social and economic vulnerability: We will not assume all people are affected similarly. We will seek to understand how impacts may be differently experienced, including for Indigenous peoples, and recognise plans and solutions must take into account the particular strengths of each community and tackle the unique impacts they experience. 

Given change and transitions involve multiple stakeholders and partners, we seek to be a catalyst to bring people together and draw on our relationships to advocate for equitable change and transition in line with these principles.

Our approach 

We recognise many of the communities where we operate rely on mining and associated activities to support their livelihoods. We aim to ensure change and transitions are equitable and deliberately considered across the lifecycle of our business and for the communities where we operate. We also acknowledge and consider that, while the energy transition is essential, the world’s repositioning must be aligned with international human rights obligations and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

Our approach is grounded in our existing strategies, policies, standards and frameworks in relation to our people, the environment, communities and other stakeholders and partners. As equitable change and transition is intrinsically founded in human rights standards, our Human Rights Policy Statement, Indigenous Peoples Policy Statement, and Inclusion and Diversity Position Statement help underpin our approach. 

Our social value framework pillars provide opportunities to directly support equitable change and transitions, including for example: 

• Decarbonisation: Opportunities for post-closure land use options that support the energy transition; nature-based mitigation projects; and adaptation measures with potential for wider benefits to ecosystems and communities 
• Healthy environment: Opportunities for non-operational land to be under nature-positive management practices (i.e. conservation, restoration or regenerative practices), including projects in partnership with Indigenous peoples and local communities 
• Indigenous partnerships: Enable or support Indigenous access and cultural practices in post-closure land use options 
• Thriving, empowered communities: Co-designed transitions that deliver positive long-term economic, social and environmental outcomes beyond closure; targeted analysis of factors that may influence levels of vulnerability or adaptive capacity within communities where we operate to support climate resilience 

Our Closure and Legacy Management Global Standard, Community and Indigenous Peoples Global Standard, Climate Change Global Standard and Environment Global Standard set out requirements aligned to our equitable change and transition principles. These Global Standards aim to achieve optimised closure outcomes and objectives, set minimum requirements for engagement and communication with stakeholders and partners, implement our commitments to human rights and Indigenous peoples’ rights, and manage environmental risks, in addition to meeting compliance obligations. 

Mt Arthur Coal

We are working to leave a positive legacy from our mining in the Hunter Valley as we transition to the planned closure of Mt Arthur Coal, an open-cut energy coal mine in New South Wales, Australia. This includes working with employees, contractors, suppliers, the local community and other relevant stakeholders and partners to achieve sustainable landforms and land uses to contribute to supporting the needs of the Hunter region.

Our Mt Arthur Coal case study is provided in our Climate Transition Action Plan 2024.