Aboriginal-mining company contractual agreements in Australia and Canada: Implications for political autonomy and community development

The negotiation of contractual agreements between Aboriginal communities and mining companies is now standard practice in Australia and Canada and increasingly common in developing countries. The widespread use of such agreements indicates that they offer significant economic and social opportunities. However, such agreements also raise major issues for Aboriginal relations with other political actors and institutions, including government, environmental groups, and the judicial system. The paper considers these implications and identifies strategies to address them and so maximize the contribution of contractual agreements to community development. The chapter also includes discussion of the potential to use agreements to enable the involvement of Aboriginal peoples in closure decision-making and post-closure remediation works.