I’m delighted to be writing to you in my first of many columns from the CEO’s desk. I’d like to thank our membership for the warm and enthusiastic manner in which you’ve welcomed me to the team. I feel very honoured to have the opportunity to build on the impressive work the Chamber has already been undertaking to highlight our industry’s enormous contributions and capability, and its competitiveness on a global scale.
Since joining CME, I’ve been able to catch up with many of you. It’s our membership that is so integral to all that we do, and in the months to come I’m looking forward to forging even stronger connections with all of you.
My first few weeks have also offered an opportunity to reinforce relationships with a variety of key stakeholders, including government, communities and training providers.
Along with a strong contingent of CME staff, and with participation from the Minerals Council of Australia and the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association, I was fortunate to be able to lead a group of Federal and State MPs on a tour of member company operations in the Pilbara last week. Many thanks to the members who provided such great access and also made teams available to explain operations and answer our questions.
The touring party included Federal Minister for Resources Madeleine King but crucially there were also many first-time MPs, whose electorates lie far away from a region that is so vital to the country’s economic fortunes. For those MPs it was an invaluable opportunity to see mining and resources and port operations up close and hear first-hand about the efforts being made to decarbonise those operations, and also how they can contribute to emissions reductions on a broader scale.
Sadly, our tour came against the backdrop of the tragic loss of two workers at WA operations. On behalf of CME and its membership, I’d like to extend my condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of these workers.
It’s been a very busy six weeks for Team CME, with Women In Resources Awards sundowner events being held in the North West and South West, the Digital Technologies Program rolling out into schools in the South West, the WA Government responding to the report of the Parliamentary Inquiry into sexual harassment against women in the FIFO mining industry, a CME team participating in the Perth-Laverton Cycling Classic (which we also title sponsored), continued progress in Aboriginal Cultural Heritage legislation process and Hydrogen Awareness Training taking place in the CME office.
You can read further about all of those items and a whole lot more in this edition of Discovery.
I look forward to providing you with more insights from the CEO’s desk. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at r.tomkinson@cmewa.com
