Australian oil and gas company, Santos, has partnered with two Indigenous-owned companies, Black Cat Civil and Origin Construction Group, to support Indigenous participation in its Queensland liquified natural gas field operations.
The two companies will be contracted to provide road maintenance and civil contracting services with the energy company for three years.
"Santos is committed to enabling and supporting Indigenous businesses through our extensive supply chain network," said Santos Managing Director and CEO Kevin Gallagher.
"Partnerships with established companies such as Black Cat Civil and Origin Construction Group, allow us to deliver high-value employment opportunities and ensure Indigenous suppliers are engaged in our operations."
Black Cat Civil has been operating since 2006 and Director Jai Tomlinson mentioned how important the deal has been to help in their ongoing operations.
"For Black Cat Civil, it is an opportunity to widen our footprint into the energy sector and partner with an Australian-born, leading energy provider that shares our core values. I am excited to cement our partnership with Santos and deliver excellence together." Jai said.
Matthew McMullen, Director of Origin Construction Group said it was important to involve local businesses with such a significant Australian company.
"We have formed great local business relationships within Roma and the surrounding townships. We are excited to have this continue with Santos' support. Having well-aligned company values has ensured the successful relationship (with Santos) now and into the future." Matthew said.
Santos has had a continued focus on investing in relationships with Queensland-based suppliers and projects in recent years. In 2022, Santos spent over $712 million on Queensland-based suppliers, while the Queensland GLNG project alone has paid $412 million in state government royalties since its inception in 2016.
Moreover, a key focus of Santos has been on converting Indigenous contractors to permanent roles. This has seen a 20% increase in permanent Indigenous employees, from 1.1% of permanent staff in 2021 to 1.4% in 2022.
