Uranium industry and First Australians share common interests

The views and interests of First Australians are particularly important to the uranium industry.

Traditional landowners own the land under which uranium is found.

Late in 2008, after a series of discussions with prominent indigenous Australians, The Australian Uranium Association reached an agreement to establish an Indigenous Dialogue Group.

The members of the Group have three important views in common:

• we believe that economic development is a route out of poverty for many indigenous Australians
• we believe our industry is young enough to develop innovative cooperative models of economic development involving the industry, governments and indigenous communities
• we believe that traditional owners deserve to have at their disposal good information, or access to it, and a capacity to interpret it, when it comes to decisions about engagement with the uranium industry.

The Indigenous Dialogue Group has developed a long-term program of work to understand and help meet the uranium information needs of indigenous communities; develop relationships with those communities through representative bodies and develop mutually-beneficial models for economic development involving uranium companies and indigenous communities.