BHP Copper SA plays a significant role in South Australia’s mining landscape, with operations spanning underground mines at Carrapateena, Olympic Dam and Prominent Hill, all feeding into a centralised smelter and refinery at Olympic Dam. Alongside this, one of Australia’s largest copper exploration projects is underway at Oak Dam, adding to the organisation’s work in extracting some of the world’s most important commodities for today and the future.
But Copper SA’s work doesn’t end at mining. A key part of the organisation’s purpose lies in social investment, ensuring its presence delivers long-term community benefits. By partnering with communities, Traditional Owners, and Cultural Knowledge Holders, Copper SA recognises its responsibility to operate respectfully on Indigenous lands.
These partnerships are considered among the most important relationships the organisation will ever hold.
Supporting reconciliation is central to Copper SA’s work. Engagement with community is embedded in day-to-day operations, with an ongoing commitment to listening, learning, and integrating community voices into decision-making. Copper SA acknowledges it hasn’t always got this right, but is dedicated to doing better and ensuring continuous improvement.
That commitment is also reflected in Copper SA’s sponsorship of the 2025 Reconciliation SA Gala. The Gala provides critical funding for reconciliation initiatives, education programs and projects that directly support communities. For Copper SA, it represents both a privilege and an opportunity: a chance to connect, share and celebrate with South Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and likeminded organisations, while helping to create lasting impact.
The Gala’s 2025 theme, Together Towards Tomorrow, strongly aligns with BHP’s own purpose: bringing people and resources together to build a better world. This purpose is lived through values of doing what’s right, seeking better ways, and making a difference. It is also reflected in BHP’s Elevate Reconciliation Action Plan, launched in June 2023; the sixth for the company.
The RAP provides a blueprint for respectful engagement, cultural understanding, economic and community development, and advocacy to advance reconciliation nationally.
At Copper SA, this commitment translates into specific actions. The organisation recognises free, prior and informed consent as a vital safeguard of Indigenous peoples’ collective rights in all new operations and projects. It continues to build strong agreements with Traditional Owners, support Indigenous procurement and business growth, and invest in Indigenous-led social initiatives that deliver long-term, community-designed benefits.
Cultural learning is another area of focus.
In 2024, BHP launched its first Indigenous Cultural Respect Framework; a milestone moment. This framework, supported by a suite of learning modules, emphasises that cultural capability requires ongoing experiences and opportunities to grow understanding. It represents a holistic and accessible approach to cultural learning across the organisation.
Copper SA also engages with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities through a wide range of avenues, including community information sessions, negotiation meetings, workshops, on Country immersions, and Board-level engagement. These touchpoints ensure that voices are heard, relationships are strengthened, and decisions are informed by those most connected to the land and culture.
Events like the Reconciliation SA Gala play an important role in this journey. Beyond symbolism, they contribute to tangible change by supporting initiatives such as the anti-racism resource BHP helped fund for schools and preschools across South Australia. For Copper SA, the hope is that attendees of this year’s Gala leave inspired to keep the reconciliation conversation alive and to progress the journey together.
For Copper SA and BHP more broadly, reconciliation is not a destination but an ongoing process. One grounded in respect, learning, and partnerships that honour the voices and rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.