Enhancing Indigenous partnerships in an increasingly digitised oil and gas industry
Michael Lynn A C and David Wirrpanda BA Deloitte Consulting Pty Ltd, 123–125 St George’s Terrace, Perth, WA 6000, Australia.
B Wirrpanda Foundation, 21 Mills Street, Cannington, WA 6107, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: MLynn@deloitte.com.au
The APPEA Journal 59(2) 639-642 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ18200
Accepted: 15 March 2019 Published: 17 June 2019
Abstract
As oil and gas operators and service providers look to embrace automation and analytics, many of the traditional partnerships with Aboriginal communities relating to employment and career pathways are likely to be challenged. The paper explores how digital trends are affecting, and are likely to affect, Indigenous communities in their partnerships with oil and gas organisations. Workplace roles and activities are evolving in our increasingly digitised world, causing a perceived threat to employment for minority groups such as Indigenous communities. In order to ensure the ongoing presence of opportunities for Indigenous workers in the ‘future of work’, oil and gas organisations will need to augment digital technologies to cater for and enhance existing and future roles. This paper presents a framework for Indigenous communities, governments, oil and gas operators and service providers to embrace digitisation and create sustainable relationships. An approach is considered to engage with Indigenous communities with objectives of executing on their Reconciliation Action Plans and addressing culture and employment challenges that arise through digitisation. The framework positions oil and gas operators and service providers to pivot themselves not only to sustain, but also to enhance Indigenous employment opportunities in a digital workplace. Digitisation is here, but with the right approach it can positively affect and shape partnerships between oil and gas organisations and Indigenous communities.
Keywords: collaboration, community, contracting, digital, education, employment, procurement, social investment, social license, supply.
Michael Lynn is the Oil, Gas and Chemicals Lead, Asia Pacific for Deloitte Consulting. In his regional oil and gas role, Mike is responsible for the development of Deloitte’s capability, market offerings, sector eminence and oversees the quality of delivery for clients. Mike has spent a large portion of his professional services career leading teams globally on energy-related engagements across the Asia–Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. Mike is recognised for his extensive experience in the energy and resources sector relating to digital transformation, sustained operational excellence and capital project execution. His core consulting capability includes engagements covering automation and analytics, performance management and improvement, change management, business models and organisation redesign and supply chain optimisation. |
David Wirrpanda is the Director of the Wirrpanda Foundation. Born in Carlton, Victoria, and raised in Shepparton and Healesville, David Wirrpanda attended Worawa College before being drafted to the West Coast Eagles in the 1995 draft. David made his debut with West Coast in Round 5 of the 1996 AFL Season, at the age of 16 years and 268 days, and remains the Eagles’ youngest ever debutant. In 2009, after 227 games, David announced his retirement from AFL and turned his focus to his community work, helping to improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians through the Wirrpanda Foundation, which he launched in 2005. David was named the ninth most influential Aboriginal Australian by The Bulletin magazine in 2008. He also received the 2009 award for Young Western Australian of the Year and in 2012 was named the National NAIDOC Person of the Year. |
References
Boman, K. (2016). Startups vital to promoting new technology in oil, gas. Available at https://www.rigzone.com/news/oil_gas/a/143239/startups_vital_to_promoting_new_technology_in_oil_gas [verified 11 April 2019].Hagel, J., Seely Brown, J., and Wooll, M. (2018). Redefine work: the untapped opportunity for expanding value. Deloitte Consulting. Available at https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/insights/us/articles/4779_Redefine-work/DI_Redefine-work.pdf [verified 11 April 2019].
Holcombe, S., and Kemp, D. (2018). ‘Indigenous Employment Futures in an Automated Mining Industry: An Issues Paper and a Case for Research.’ (Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland: Brisbane.)
McKinley, E. (2016). STEM and Indigenous students. Available at https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1290&context=research_conference [verified 11 April 2019].
Mikulka, J. (2018). Oil industry plans to keep workers safe – by firing them and having robots do their jobs [Blog]. Available at https://www.desmogblog.com/2018/07/19/oil-industry-plans-worker-safety-firing-automation-robots-jobs [verified 11 April 2019].
Morgenstern, M. (25 June 2016). The impact on jobs. Automation and anxiety. The Economist. Available at https://www.economist.com/special-report/2016/06/23/automation-and-anxiety [verified 11 April 2019].
Thomas, J., Barraket, J., Wilson, C., Cook, K., Louie, Y., Holcombe-James, I., Ewing, S., and MacDonald, T. (2018). Measuring Australia’s digital divide: the Australian Digital Inclusion Index 2018. Available at https://digitalinclusionindex.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Australian-digital-inclusion-index-2018.pdf [verified 11 April 2019].
White, N., and Grueger, D. (2017). Managing the digital workforce. Deloitte Consulting. Available at https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/au/Documents/human-capital/deloitte-au-hc-managing-digital-workforce-131017.pdf [verified 11 April 2019].
