Nina Collins

“The beast doesn't stop”: the resource boom and changes in the social space of the Darling Downs

A resources boom and the incursion of large scale coal mining and coal seam gas projects has precipitated environmental conflicts and other social struggles in traditionally agricultural communities of the Darling Downs. These relate to control of economic resources, cultural practices and, more generally, regional identity. This paper examines the social space where these struggles are taking place using sociologist Pierre Bourdieus analytical concepts. Data was collected through interviews and photographs in two local government areas of the region – Toowoomba and Western Downs – using changes to physical landscape as an indicator of changing relationships in social space. With the advent of the new industry, agricultural communities are experiencing the pervasive presence of the resources industry and a systematic loss of control of resources. This prompts a struggle as they try to maintain their traditionally dominant power position.

Social water assessment protocol: a step towards connecting mining, water and human rights

The human right to water has recently been recognized by both the United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Council. As the mining industry interacts with water on multiple levels, it is important that these interactions respect the human right to water. Currently, a disconnect exists between mine site water management practices and the recognition of water from a human rights perspective. It has been argued that the Minerals Council of Australia Water Accounting Framework can be used to strengthen the connection between water management and human rights. This article extends this connection through the use of a Social Water Assessment Protocol (SWAP). The SWAP is a scoping tool consisting of a set of questions classified into taxonomic themes under leading topics with suggested sources of data that enable mine sites to better understand the local water context in which they operate. Three of the themes contained in the SWAP – gender, Indigenous peoples and health – are discussed to demonstrate how the protocol may be useful in assisting mining companies to consider their impacts on the human right to water.

Global perspectives on the state of resettlement practice in mining

Abstract This article presents the results of a global study on resettlement practice in the mining industry. We examine how international policy commitments are operationalised by the mining sector and how practitioners from across the institutional spectrum engage with planning and implementation efforts by the industry. Interviews were conducted with 52 senior practitioners from mining companies, consultancies, international finance institutions and international non-government organisations. Results confirm knowledge, resourcing, capacity and coordination gaps among each of the institutions. These findings give additional substance to emerging reports about the urgent need to improve performance in this area of practice. The article concludes with a call for further sector-specific research into mining and resettlement.

A pilot study of the Social Water Assessment Protocol in a mining region of Ghana

ABSTRACT The Social Water Assessment Protocol (SWAP) is a tool consisting of a series of questions on 14 themes designed to capture the social context of water around a mine site. A pilot study of the SWAP, conducted in Prestea-Huni Valley, Ghana, showed that some communities were concerned about whether the groundwater was potable. The mining company’s concern was that there was a cycle of dependency amongst communities that received treated water from the mining company. The pilot identified potential data sources and stakeholder groups for each theme, and gaps in themes, and suggested refinements to questions to improve the SWAP.