Engaging First Nations perspectives in mining agreements

On 4 February 2026, Professor Nick Bainton, Dr Nicholas Drake and Dr Jenna Harb met with Michael Woodley, CEO of the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation (YAC) and Chair of the Ngarluma Yindjibarndi Corporation Limited (NYFL) and his wife Lorraine Coppin, CEO of the Juluwarlu Aboriginal Corporation, at the First Nations Portfolio office at The Australian National University (ANU). Michael and Lorraine, a Yindjibarndi couple from Roebourne, Western Australia, are widely recognised for their advocacy on Aboriginal land rights, their leadership in relations with mining corporations and their work promoting cultural development and social and economic self-determination.

The meeting included Professor Peter Yu (Vice-President, First Nations Portfolio), ANU project members Christian Barry, Kirsten Mann, Rini Astuti, John Taylor and Noah Bedford, as well as Paula Czarnecka, YAC’s Chief Operating Officer, Carly Davenport, GM of Juluwarlu, and Fran Haintz, of consultancy Grounded Impact.

During the discussion, Professor Bainton, Dr Drake and Dr Harb provided an overview of the Rio Tinto Centre for Future Materials (RTCFM) and Professors Bainton and Yu’s RTCFM grant. The project aims to establish the foundations for genuinely collaborative research with First Nations communities impacted by mining and energy transitions in Australia and beyond, in conjunction with NYFL, the project’s partner organisation.

They also outlined research projects examining mining agreements as systems, First Nations peoples’ labour in these agreements and the role of free and prior informed consent. The meeting aimed to seek Michael’s guidance and approval as Chair of NYFL to ensure the research is culturally appropriate, reflects lived experience and contributes positively to Indigenous communities.

Following this meeting, Professor Bainton, Dr Drake and Dr Harb will travel to Roebourne to conduct interviews with The Ngarluma Yindjibarndi Foundation Ltd (NYFL) representatives, as well as with industry, government and academic stakeholders, to further develop their research program and strengthen partnerships