This case study is a product of a collaboration between UQ researchers and Gumatj Corporation, based in Gove, Northern Territory. The report documents the story of the Gumatj-owned Gulkula Mining Company (GMC), the world’s first and only wholly Indigenous-owned and operated bauxite mining company.

The purpose of the case study is to capture Indigenous perspectives and experiences of an Indigenous-owned mine, contributing to broader research on Indigenous equity ownership in mining projects, particularly, the risks and opportunities for promoting self-determination. The report provides a detailed, site-based account of the historical context, unique circumstances, personalities and drivers that enabled the establishment of GMC, the Gulkula mine and its mining training centre.

This is not just for posterity, for Gumatj Corp, the report is expressly intended to shine a light so others can follow. The aim is to offer a foundation from which others can draw lessons and inform other mining contexts in which Indigenous groups seek paths to self-determination. From a social responsibility in mining perspective, the Gulkula case highlights the outcomes possible when innovative approaches to Indigenous landowner participation are pursued in industrial operations.

Seed funding for the research was provided by Rio Tinto under a long-term research partnership with the University of Queensland’s Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining.