Leading Practice Strategies for Addressing the Social Impacts of Resource Developments

As part of the implementation of the Sustainable Resource Communities (SRC) policy, the Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI), in association with the Queensland Resources Council and the Local Government Association of Queensland, commissioned the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining (CSRM) to undertake research on the leading practice approaches for addressing the social impacts of resource development adopted by other jurisdictions. This research, reported here, considers the promise and pitfalls of such approaches and the applicability to the Queensland context, and provides case studies, advice and principles to assist the development and implementation of the SRC policy in Queensland.

Four government jurisdictions are reviewed as case studies. These are South Africa, Canada, New South Wales and Western Australia. In addition, a range of corporate policies were investigated as were the policies of the International Finance Corporation (part of the World Bank group), which has pioneered the use of Social Management Plans.