Working together as we help Australia recover

A few months ago, no-one could have imagined a global pandemic of this scale. The COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted our modern way of life, the way we work and the way we interact. It is a cruel virus targeting the most vulnerable. The health and economic impacts around the world are widespread, lives have been lost, jobs have been lost and businesses shut down. 

It’s challenged everyone in different ways and raised questions about what we can expect from governments, business, our leaders and each other.

Last month, Australian federal, state and territory ministers responsible for resources met by telepresence and declared a strong resources sector will be critical to ensuring that communities and the wider Australian economy is well-positioned to bounce back when the global economy recovers from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic. They said:  Our sector nationally produces nearly 75 percent of Australia’s exports. It directly employs nearly 250,000 workers, and it supports nearly a million more workers who are employed in the broader resources supply chain.

Australia will rely on the nearly A$300 billion in exports from the sector this financial year as well as the taxes and royalties collected from resource companies to underpin Government budgets when other industries cannot.

The resources ministers emphasised two points. First, Helping Australia Recover and secondly, Working Together!

Our industry moved quickly in this common purpose. The AWU, CFMMEU and MCA came together, united in determination to implement strict COVID-19 health and safety protocols to keep people in work and sites operating where it is safe to do so. They said fly in, fly out (FIFO) and drive in, drive out (DIDO) models should be maintained, provided the safety and well-being of mineworkers and local communities is not compromised. They outlined strict measures to minimise the risk of workers being exposed to COVID-19 in the workplace, encouragement of self-isolation by workers, systems to manage any positive COVID-19 tests for workers, and education and communication with workers and local communities.

While I am not complacent, at this point in time, it is working. Risks remain and we must be vigilant, but as I observe what is going on around the world, Australia’s measures are working and we in the resources industry are playing our part.

I see some countries grappling with the medical emergencies and tragic loss of life. In Australia, the Prime Minster and Chief Medical Officer have advised that the curve of infections has flattened. Governments are looking at safe transition pathways to get kids back into school and people back in jobs.   

At BHP, the health and safety of our workforce has never been more important. Keeping our families and communities safe is the fundamental basis on which we operate and move forward.

We have dramatically changed the way we work to remain operational - changing rosters in line with state and territory border closures, and embracing strict health, safety and hygiene practices. We are screening our workforce at airports, on buses and at the mine gate. Screening test best practice is being shared across the industry.

I am conscious that this is a stressful time and people can feel isolated more quickly, so we are looking at better tools to help people deal with stress and to manage their mental health.

As we move forward, the critical thing that I wish for BHP and for Australia is that we do not lose the team spirit that has shone through during this crisis. It is a spirit of cooperation and innovation at an individual, organisation and national level. It’s a quiet and practical spirit, without a need for acknowledgement but rather a demonstration of responsibility, co-operation and kindness.   

There are many examples of this that I have seen in the past few weeks. A pharmacist in  Port Hedland made hand sanitiser for the local police force and for some of our sites, and some of our team in Newman adapted portable housing for a women’s shelter and one of the local Indigenous communities to self-isolate if needed.  

In the past month, we’ve employed airline stewards and restauranteurs among almost 500 new people of a targeted 1500 roles. Many had never thought of resources as a career but they are keen to give our industry a go and support their families. We welcome them.

We’ve also reduced payment terms for our small business and Indigenous suppliers from 30 days to 7days. In Queensland, we got together with local health providers to get community testing clinics up and running, and helped where we could to get PPE equipment to regional health professionals. Medical experts, bureaucrats, local government, unions and community – whatever it took, we‘ve worked together to get it done.

Our efforts to remain operational are important to our workforce who want to stay employed, our communities that benefit from our activities, the thousands of companies that rely on business with us, our shareholders who expect strong returns, and all levels of governments that depend on our tax and royalty contribution to fund essential services.

We can fulfil our responsibility to all of them when we work together to continue operating safely.

Even though we are yet to get a full picture of what recovery will look like, I hope the sense of working together remains. We know the world is facing some tough economic times ahead. It will impact commodity demand, prices and investment and production. At BHP we will make decisions with a deep sense of collective responsibility for the role we play in keeping our people safe and the role they play in supporting the families and communities that have supported all of us.