Fortescue Metals Group Manager, Heritage Compliance & Operations, Yuluwirri McGrady, describes the recent AMEC award for the company's Billion Opportunities program as "great recognition".

"The program started 11 years ago and is still relevant," he told National Indigenous Times.

Fortescue was recognised last month for its commitment to providing long term, sustainable business development opportunities for Aboriginal businesses at the 2022 AMEC Awards.

The company received the AMEC Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Empowerment Award in recognition of the Billion Opportunities program, which since 2011 has seen over $4billion in contracts and subcontracts awarded to more than 140 Aboriginal businesses.

In the financial year 2021-22, Fortescue purchased $452 million worth of goods and services from Aboriginal businesses, with nearly 90 per cent of this spend with businesses owned by native title partners and their members.

Fortescue also awarded or extended 32 contracts to a value of $513 million to Aboriginal businesses in the same period.

Mr McGrady said First Nations engagement "is only going to become more and more important" in the mining sector.

"I feel very humbled but also very proud to have been part of the program over the past two years," he said.

"It creates a unique opportunity for me to partner with 80-odd Aboriginal business across the Pilbara and WA, being able to leverage Fortescue supply chains to create opportunities and outcomes for First Nations people."

Mr McGrady, a Goomilaroi man from Toomelah (northern New South Wales), started as a v-tech supervisor at Karratha / Roebourne in WA in 2015, then went to Christmas Creek in an Aboriginal development role focussed on recruiting and retaining Indigenous staff.

"That point was pivotal in my career. At Christmas creek I started to fall in love with the business side of mining, moving away from the soft skills of mentoring and that kind of catapulted me into the Aboriginal development space; making sure Aboriginal business are able to take advantage of these opportunities commercially," he said.

"I don't believe there is a better Industry partner for Aboriginal people, particularly in regional and remote areas, than the mining industry.

"The opportunities for economic development, employment and training, community investment – I see mining industry is in those areas. I am talking about Aboriginal people in Newman, Jigalong, Mt. Isa. There was not a lot of opportunity, but mining brings development, training and employment."

The Billion Opportunities program has driven movement in government policy across Australia and was the blueprint for the Commonwealth Government's Indigenous Procurement Policy.

Fortescue Director of Communities, Environment and Government, Warren Fish said the company strongly believes procurement is a "powerful lever" for social and economic change.

"A strong Aboriginal business sector is best placed to create employment and development opportunities for their communities," he said.

"This program is a partnership between Fortescue and our Aboriginal business partners, providing them with the tools to build value while improving their competitiveness and capability."

Billion Opportunities is complemented by practical initiatives to provide Aboriginal businesses with the tools to build value and sustainability, including Fortescue's ANZ funding scheme which allows eligible Aboriginal businesses to access finance at a competitive rate. Fortescue acts as guarantor, which removes the need for the Aboriginal business to provide security.