At DPI, our purpose is to create a space where discussion can occur to address society’s most pressing issues, related to the role of mining as a development partner.

In 2020, we sought to more deeply understand a range of perspectives about, and the progress of the mining sector towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Australia.

Through a mix of interviews and surveys, we obtained the views of 18 people across 15 organisations. The intent was to deepen insights by understanding different perspectives from within the mining sector, academia, government, indigenous people, and civil society.

This “check-in” followed a session held in November 2019, where an urgent need to address mining and the Sustainable Development Goals emerged. This urgency grew in 2020. We see that collaboration and innovative thinking will be vital to achieve this.

The discussions identified six areas of opportunity to support continued progress towards sustainable development:

We are pleased to share that two ideas – a Climate Health Ecosystem Fund and a Social Value Approach to Measuring Impact – are already moving forward in 2021 with support from Hatch, BrightLight and Pilbara Solar.

Read more about the process and the two ideas we’re actioning in the DPI Mining and the SDGS in Australia Summary Report.