BHP has announced record Indigenous procurement spending, and almost doubled the value of its contracts with First Nations businesses across its Australian operations last financial year.

The full scope of BHP's economic contribution to Australia last financial year was detailed in its 2024 Economic Contribution Report, with $52.9 billion spent via wages, dividends, payments to suppliers, taxes, royalties and community investments.

This included a record $700 million spent with 240 Indigenous suppliers, a 12-month increase of 75 per cent.

The results position BHP on track to reach $1.5 billion of targeted spend with Indigenous and Traditional Owner businesses by mid-2027, a commitment from its June 2023 RAP and supported by a $20m investment for Melbourne Business School Indigenous initiatives, including the Dilin Duwa Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership.

Results across all three states home to BHP's major operations bode well for Indigenous businesses in the sector.

The company's main footprint was in Western Australia, where it generated a record $465m from TO and Indigenous businesses, a 69 per cent jump from the previous financial year.

Indigenous services for its vast WAIO ranged from of mining activities and support services for the company, from engineering, project management, construction and other mine-related requirements.

Buru Rehab director George Todd, a Kariyarra Traditional Owner, said its mine rehabilitation contract with BHP in Port Hedland provided employment for locals and also increased the company's future capabilities.

"It's important to us that BHP provides local Traditional Owner businesses with opportunity to grow capability and capacity, through working on local projects," he said.

Jinparinya Services, a Kariyarra, Nyamal and Nyiyaparli business working with Buru at BHP's Finucane Island operations, said the joint contract involved screening stockpiled material from plant spillage and other areas, which further boosted revenue for BHP as the product re-entered the supply chain.

Jinparinya managing director Warwick Wilson said profits from the 100 per cent Indigenous-owned business were reinvested in the community.

"We are so proud to create job opportunities for the local people around WA and are grateful for the great opportunity and partnership we have," he said.

In South Australia, BHP's Olympic Dam mine – home to one of the world's biggest deposits of copper, gold, and uranium – continued to boost record company spend with Indigenous suppliers there too.

More than $280m was spent with local suppliers in the Upper Spencer Gulf and Port Augusta for the financial year, including $97m with Indigenous-owned businesses, a 76 per cent increase from the 2023 FY.

Local SA supplier Kokatha Mining Services, a wholly-owned enterprise of Kokatha Aboriginal Corporation, has delivered roads maintenance and lab transport services at BHP's Carrapeteena copper mine 100km south-east of Olympic Dam for several years.

In 2022 the company finished a $2.7million project at Olympic Dam village sites, creating 16 Indigenous jobs on Kokatha Country.

Since 2023, KMS has managed a potable water carting service at Oak Dam - recently increased to double the volume of water, and include a laboratory sample run - creating further employment opportunities for Kokatha people.

KAC chairperson Carly Chamberlain said the Oak Dam supply contract had empowered staff at the company since kicking off last October.

"To have successfully run the first Indigenous-led contract at Oak Dam was a significant achievement for Kokatha Mining Services and one we're very proud of," she said.

"With every new service KMS delivers, we're proving to ourselves, our stakeholders and our community that we can engage in high-level operations."

Ms Chamberlain said that having Kokatha People working on Kokatha Country, and creating wealth for the community, was a primary objective of the KAC.

"We are currently in a rapid growth stage, which is exciting for our directors, staff and community," she said.

"We look forward to working with BHP in the future on projects that support our goals of caring for Kokatha Country and Kokatha People."

In Queensland, BHP reported record supply spend with Indigenous businesses for the FY24 too, with upwards of $80m contracted to more than 50 suppliers, a 74 per cent bump on the previous 12 months.

Barada Barna Aboriginal Corporation business 3BB Contracting was one BHP supplier, providing mine rehab services at its Goonyella Riverside and Saraji mines, where almost half of its 40-strong crew there were Barada Barna people.

3BB managing director Nicole Muller said staff numbers had doubled and the company was growing rapidly, building further capability for future mine rehabilitation services.

"BHP has allowed us to build that by securing some of these contracts," she said.

"We want to make sure 3BB is set up to generate revenue back to our charitable trust that services all our descendants.

"We've got over a thousand descendants, so it actually helps with the social policies."

Ms Muller said it was part of 3BB's "cultural duty" to look after land.

"We aim to rehab land back to what it used to look like or similar," she said.

"There's a great sense of pride in being able to do that."