This National Reconciliation Week it has been important ‘Now More Than Ever’ to continue the path to reconciliation.
At Tellus, we believe the path to progress is through genuine engagement, respectful conversations and building trust and commitment with our First Nations Partners.
The foundations of our success at Sandy Ridge in establishing Australia’s first and only nationwide hazardous material facility capable of disposing of low-level radioactive waste, are built on our native title agreement with the Marlinyu-Ghoorlie people of the Kalgoorlie-Coolgardie region.
Since being established in 2020, tens of thousands of tonnes of hazardous waste, much of it from the mining and energy sector, have been safely disposed in one of the safest places on earth.
Tellus General Manager Business Development, Jade Ritchie, has led by example in our business:
“Now More Than Ever, we commit to holding space for reflection, listening, learning and most importantly, acting. Our Indigenous land use partnership for Tellus’ Chandler deep geological repository in the Northern Territory, reached late last year, aimed to follow this approach.
“By listening, we were able to better understand the perspectives of the Titjikala Native Title Party: their community’s aspirations, their hopes for sustainable employment outcomes and economic development for future generations, and their desire to play their part in ‘cleaning up country’.”
Knowledge held by traditional custodians about the land and water informed both the location of the site and its design, sensitive to traditional cultural practices. Learning from tens of thousands of years of knowledge of the land, working towards shared goals and creating genuine partnerships for reconciliation and a prosperous future is only possible through open dialogue and deep listening.
We’re committed to continuing to walk this path.