ISX – the First Five Years (2004-2009) and the Next Five
New Thinking from the ISX on Remote Area Transport, Plant for Indigenous Contractors, Office Space, Homelands Enterprises & Housing Infrastructure This paper is about how non-Indigenous and Indigenous owned mining companies can make a difference in remote and regional Indigenous communities by building the transport, business and housing infrastructure capacity of Indigenous communities through targeted 100 per cent tax deductible donations of cash, equipment and services. This strategy has many benefits. It can be a means of supporting Aboriginal contractors to build an independent business asset base and capacity, increasing the self sufficiency of Indigenous communities and reducing the high cost of living in mining regions. Kevin Fong, Chairman and Peter Botsman, Secretary, ISX Paper for the Aboriginal Enterprises in Mining, Energy and Exploration Conference and the Minerals Council of Australia Conference, Adelaide, October 2009 www.isx.org.au 1 Reducing the High Costs of Transport in Indigenous Communities In 2010 the ISX, in honour of its deep roots in Broome, agreed to think hard about the question of the high cost of transport and vehicles for remote and regional Aboriginal communities throughout Australia. Broome’s Aboriginal taxi drivers were legendary, pioneer business-people who directly benefited the community and led to lower costs of transport for Aboriginal people. They were also the heart and soul of the community and were problem solvers and unofficial community guardians. Today in many remote communities it can cost as much as $A450 for a single one-way trip to a supermarket to purchase food for a community. There are no buses and most communities have to add these costs on to the already very highly inflated prices of food and sustenance.
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