Industry, especially extractive industry, must now give serious
attention to the impact its operations have on the natural environment and on
the economic, social, and cultural context within which it
operates.

While this obligation is statutorily managed, there has been a
recent shift towards a culture of self responsibility. Industry is now talking
about earning its social licence to operate and the importance of maintaining
the triple bottom line, thus adding environmental and social performance to
the usual financial criteria used to measure organisational performance. The
social context within which companies operate has also become more sensitive
with industry responding to a growing public expectation that it conduct itself
in a way that strives for sustainability by operating and developing in a way
that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs.

There are glowing accounts of industries engaging and
collaborating with the communities within which they are based. In amongst these
are also some disasters which result from cultural assumptions, industry created
dependencies and the failure to attain community buy-in despite significant
investment by the industry involved.

There are also remarkable stories of communities, and action
groups within communities, being a significant catalyst for positive change of
their natural, cultural and social environment. In amongst these stories there
are also accounts of long and drawn out battles; adversarial situations where no
one wins; a litany of mistrust, tricks and tactics, with the better resourced
party ultimately achieving its primary objectives at the cost of the other (and
at the cost of any potential fruitful, mutual relationships).

So
what makes the difference in achieving the positive rather than negative
outcomes? The answer lies in the way the outcomes are achieved. Building
relationships based on good communication, respect for divergent views, mutual
understanding, and the development of trust and empathy, makes it possible to
identify shared goals and objectives that best meet the needs of all parties.

Research indicates the mining industry is making good progress
in developing policy and commitment to community development and engagement but
that, translating commitments into improved practices at the site level remains
one of the industry's toughest challenges'. (Australian Government - Community
Engagement and Development Handbook October 2006 @ page 49.)

This
paper considers the merits of a process of community collaboration and what it
has to offer in terms of meeting that challenge.