On 16 August 2006, a community partnership agreement was signed between the Gnaala Karla Booja (GKB) people, Newmont Boddington Gold and the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council (Swalsc). The agreement, identified as “Moorditj Booja”, runs from 30 June 2006 to 31 December 2025. One of its commitments, to undertake an independent review of the structural functionality and governance of the agreement after four years, was completed in 2010.
The review showed that the structures controlling the agreement were too complex for the participants to understand and, rather than assist in progressing the mutual promises made, hindered development and placed unnecessary pressures on partners. While significant effort had been made by all parties to overcome the deficiencies, and that in principle the values and relationships underpinning the agreement had remained, the key structural weakness over the first four years of the agreement was identified as being the lack of a fully functioning relationship committee.
The review made the following recommendations, which were agreed during 2010, and have been implemented in the intervening years:
- communications – agreed quarterly schedule of meetings, agreed standard agenda items, protocol for raising additional meetings, formalized reporting schedule and items to be reported on, operational (focused on progress on deliverables within agreement) vs governance meetings and presentations (focused on the partnership, negotiations, relationship development and partnership intent)
- administration – resources required to drive meetings above and required to support the GKB people in their negotiations, decision making, reporting structures, etc; monitoring and payment of participation fees and honorarium linked to agreed achievements
- structure, roles and responsibilities – simplification of structure; clarify roles and responsibilities; clarify representation to structure, ie dissolution of the Traditional Owners Liaison Committee and revitalization of a new relationship committee; clarify representation; opportunity to review deliverables in Community Benefits Management Plan for priority, appropriateness and achievability, timeframes and resource requirements, and clarity of expectations
- relationship development –differentiating the operative delivery of the agreement vs the governance aspect of the agreement (joint decision making, negotiation, consultation, evaluation of progress, development of trust)
The review recommendations were workshopped between the GKB Working Party and Swalsc and were accepted in 2010, and further combined workshops occurred during 2011. Since that time, the new relationship structure and representatives were appointed, and quarterly meetings, administrative support, legal update of agreements, annual work plans (operational and governance) and a refined appointments process for the GKB people have been implemented. The next review of the partnership agreement will occur in 2014.