The role of government
The Australian mining industry is increasingly active overseas — more than 220 Australian mining companies currently operate in African countries alone. The Australian government is a strong supporter of our mining industry’s overseas activities, providing export finance, marketing and diplomatic support.
The Australian Government should also ensure that Australian companies are operating in accordance with international best-practice standards, including those related to human rights and transparency. If this does not occur, the government should investigate and call to account companies whose practices are causing harm or breaking national and/or international laws, or other standards.
Oxfam is calling on the Australian Government to:
- implement the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and show some global leadership on revenue transparency
- reform Australia’s export credit agency to ensure that it does not support risky mining projects overseas with Australian tax payer dollars
- build on its ability to improve mining company practice and solve problems faced by mine-affected communities by strengthening the National Contact Point established under the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
Oxfam also supports multilateral and global initiatives to improve mining practice, such as the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and the UN’s “Protect, Respect and Remedy” framework for business and human rights.
Oxfam’s submissions to Government
Oxfam is actively lobbying the Australian Government, calling for it to improve its regulation of Australian mining activities overseas.
Our submissions to government can be found here:
- Oxfam Australia submission on the Oyu Tolgoi Copper-Gold Mine project in Mongolia
- ASX Public Consultation: Reserves and Resources Disclosure Rules for Mining and Oil & Gas Companies
Links
- How does the ASX stack up? A number of global stock exchanges have rules that require listed mining companies to publish what they pay to governments in the countries where they operate. Find out how the Australian Stock Exchange compares.