BHP has made a groundbreaking $96 million deal with South Australian company Intract Australia for industrial cleaning at its Olympic Dam mine. This is the largest standalone contract BHP has ever signed with an Indigenous business.

This record contract is part of a combined $156 million awarded by BHP's Copper SA business over five years. Indigenous-owned Platinum Civil Construction also secured a $60 million joint civil contract with Arabana-owned Zancott Knight.

These transformative deals highlight BHP's commitment to spending $1.5 billion over four years with Traditional Owner and Indigenous businesses by mid-2027

Intract's workforce at Olympic Dam, a site 560 km north of Adelaide, is now 50 percent Indigenous and growing thanks to the recent contract, with 20 percent of the company's workers being women.

For CEO John Briggs, a proud Yorta Yorta man and one of the three original founders of Intract, the deal means more stable, long-term jobs for Indigenous people.

"Our vision when we started Intract was to form a business that would not only open doors for Indigenous training and development but deliver stable and long-term employment for Indigenous people," said Mr. Briggs.

Intract's Indigenous workforce at Olympic Dam will reach 40 FTEs, offering stable employment and career pathways for Indigenous workers, while enhancing training and development for First Nations people.

Platinum Civil Construction, with 65 percent female employment, has seen rapid growth from a small to medium-sized operation in just three years. Managing Director Kiara Johnson credits BHP's support for this expansion.

"I was born and raised in regional South Australia, and through a lot of hard work I have been able to build Platinum to what it is today, with BHP's support," she said.

Johnson, the first Indigenous woman in SA to own and manage a civil construction company, aims to provide more jobs for First Nations women.

"Seventeen years ago I was working for a contractor at Olympic Dam, and I was the only female out of about 30 people in the company," she said. "Now, I own and manage a business that essentially delivers this same contract."

BHP Copper SA Asset President Anna Wiley emphasised BHP's focus on increasing its spend with Indigenous and Traditional Owner-owned businesses. "We see the positive impact these partnerships have on the businesses and their employees, and in the local communities where we operate," she said. "The new contract with Intract continues the partnerships we have with a range of Indigenous and Traditional Owner-owned businesses in South Australia."

Wiley highlighted Intract's growing reputation and footprint at Olympic Dam since the company began work there.

"More than half of Intract's workforce at Olympic Dam are Indigenous employees," she said. "They are highly regarded for their commitment to providing economic opportunities, mentoring, and training for Traditional Owner communities."

BHP spent more than $54 million with local Indigenous suppliers at Olympic Dam last financial year, creating significant opportunities for Indigenous businesses and shared benefits for local communities.

The Kokatha people, Traditional Owners of the land surrounding Olympic Dam and three pastoral stations, were formally awarded Native Title over the area in September 2014 after a 20-year journey. BHP supported the determination and agreed to award sub-leases over the pastoral stations to the Kokatha people as part of an Indigenous Land Use Agreement.

With financial support from BHP, Kokatha has been upgrading infrastructure on the pastoral stations to refurbish them as fully operational cattle stations. Glen Wingfield, Kokatha heritage services manager, emphasized the importance of reconnecting with the land. "Our people have a strong and ongoing connection to the area, so the sub-leases not only provide us with an opportunity for economic empowerment but also get us back onto the lands, which are an important part of our culture," he said.