Australia: Direct employment—Creating an enabling environment

The document describes Australia's approach to maximizing domestic participation in the mining sector, emphasizing a 'centrally-driven and cross-industry approach' rather than mandated local content targets. It highlights the role of the Australian Industry Participation (AIP) framework, where targets are negotiated on a case-by-case basis. The study details education-to-employment pipelines, such as the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy, and the economic impact of the METS sector, which supports 1.1 million jobs. Key lessons emphasize the necessity of collaboration between government, industry, and education to maintain a competitive resources sector.

• Australia does not use standard mandated local content targets for its mining industry; instead, companies must implement an Australian Industry Participation (AIP) plan to align procurement and employment with the principle of "full, fair and reasonable" access, with specific targets negotiated on a case-by-case basis.
• The mining sector is a critical economic driver in Australia, employing 267,700 people in 2016 (2.3% of the total workforce), with 95% of these roles being full-time. The industry is the largest private sector employer of Indigenous people, with over 6% of the workforce identifying as Aboriginal.
• The Mining Equipment, Technology and Services (METS) sector significantly diversifies the benefits of natural resources, supporting 1.1 million jobs across Australia, which represents 10% of total employment.
• Australia utilizes various education partnerships to create a talent pipeline, most notably the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA), which is the country's largest partnership between industry and the education sector.

APA

Grice, T. (2018). Australia: Direct employment—Creating an enabling environment. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/sites/default/files/publications/case-study-australia-direct-employment.pdf

Chicago

Grice, Tim. Australia: Direct employment—Creating an enabling environment. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2018. https://www.iisd.org/sites/default/files/publications/case-study-australia-direct-employment.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Grice |first1=Tim |title=Australia: Direct employment—Creating an enabling environment |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2018 |url=https://www.iisd.org/sites/default/files/publications/case-study-australia-direct-employment.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{grice2018australia, author = {Grice, Tim}, title = {{Australia: Direct employment—Creating an enabling environment}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2018}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/sites/default/files/publications/case-study-australia-direct-employment.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }