Human Resources in the Gold Industry

Australian Mining chats with an industry HR advisor about the often-unique experiences of working in the Australian gold industry.

As a vital global industry, there are many pathways and opportunities present in Australia’s ever-growing gold sector.

Facilitated by the Gold Industry Group, Australian Mining is conducting a number of interviews over future issues looking at career profiles of young-generation mining employees and their journeys into gold.

Turning the focus to fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) roles, Christina Hartley, a human resources (HR) advisor at the St Barbara Leonora operations in Western Australia, talks about some of her unique experiences in the industry.

Were there any barriers to gaining your position?
As someone brand new to the industry with no FIFO experience, I thought my biggest barrier was going to be at the recruitment stage. I went into the process expecting to be overlooked for opportunities due to my lack of on-site experience, but that wasn’t the case.

In line with its commitment to empowered people and diverse teams, St Barbara, and my leader Chantel Flemming, saw the value in giving someone new to the industry an opportunity and recognised the chance to leverage my transferable skills to working in the gold industry.

Did you have to undergo any formal training or education?
Prior to starting my professional career in HR, I completed a Bachelor of Business (degree), majoring in human resources management. While working to develop my technical skills, I also completed a graduate certificate in employment relations.

Did you have misconceptions about the gold industry that turned out to be incorrect?
I used to think that most, if not all, mine sites were in the middle of nowhere, but there’s actually a lot of mine sites in the (WA) Goldfields that are close to or connected to towns.

St Barbara is right next to Leonora, which means we get the added bonus of being part of the community and can build relationships with community members and get involved in local activities, which is something rewarding that I didn’t anticipate as part of a FIFO role.

Has there been opportunity to further develop your skills and learn on the job?
I’ve only been working at St Barbara for a few months, but in that time I have had a lot of coaching from the broader HR team.

Additionally, there is a big focus on internal talent and upskilling, which then translates to a lot of opportunity for growth and development.

Was a FIFO-based role something you wanted to do?
Ever since I discovered that you could perform HR roles on-site, I’ve wanted to be in a FIFO role. And since starting my position at St Barbara, I’ve fallen in love with working here.

The operations here are beyond the scope of what I could ever have initially imagined, and I’ve been lucky enough to go on an underground tour of the mine and be exposed to what the gold industry looks like on-site, which is an experience I couldn’t have anywhere else.

How valuable is the gold industry to Australia?
It’s incredibly important. The gold industry provides a large number of jobs and it provides those to a diverse range of people in addition to providing job opportunities to remote and regional communities.

At St Barbara, in particular, we have a commitment to empower people in diverse teams and I think that fosters a really good culture of innovation and growth in terms of the industry.

This feature appeared in the October issue of Australian Mining.

Australian Mining.

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