Diversity at Work: The Practice of Inclusion

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Inclusion at Societal Fault Lines: Aboriginal Peoples of Australia

Charmine E. J. Härtel, Dennis Appo, and Bill Hart

In this chapter, we look at the steps that societies and organizations must take to redress the longstanding social and economic exclusion in their midst, focusing on the case in which two societies within one nation collide. We do so by presenting a brief examination of the historical context of Aboriginal peoples in Australian society, followed by a case study of how Rio Tinto Iron Ore pioneered a new organizational approach to advance the social and economic inclusion of Aboriginal contractors in the Pilbara region of Australia. We find evidence for the need to take a community building approach to address ...