Indigenous excellence recognised at Blackwater

Ochre Australia was announced as a finalist in the 2025 Queensland Resource Council Indigenous Awards in the Exceptional Indigenous Business Award category after being nominated by Whitehaven.

Supported by Whitehaven, Ochre has been instrumental in several rehabilitation and environmental projects at Blackwater coal mine, including supply of operators, execution of civil works packages, legacy borehole location and sediment control.

The teams worked closely together to build Ochre’s capability to address mine compliance, which has positioned them to grow to where the now are — working autonomously at Blackwater.

Ochre Australia is now an integral part of the sites operations and makes a significant contribution to the local Indigenous community by enhancing the local environment and providing valuable opportunities for Indigenous people to build a career in the resource sector.

Whitehaven’s Blackwater mine environment and rehabilitation manager Byron Ginty is also being celebrated for his work with Ochre as a finalist for the Indigenous Advocacy Award category.

Mr Ginty has built strong relationships with the Gaangulu People and local Indigenous businesses throughout his tenure at Blackwater and continues to drive positive change for through employment, procurement and skills development opportunities.

Ochre Australia founder and managing director Kerrod Toby says the opportunities and support from the Blackwater team over the years has been priceless.

“Byron Ginty and his team at Blackwater mine have been incredibly supportive of me, my team and our journey as a small local Indigenous Traditional Owner business,” he said.

“Their continued support has helped us build real capability in our team and community and brings my dream of creating a better future for the mob a little step closer to reality.”

Ochre has grown significantly during its time at Blackwater, now an embedded contractor at the site, it has an annual spend of more than $3m. The team is made up of 11 fulltime employees, including a project manager, two supervisors, multi-skilled operators and a trainer assessor.

The company has also now expanded to dry plant hire as well as aligned mining and civil services.

Whitehaven chief executive and managing director Paul Flynn says Ochre’s success exemplifies the importance of Whitehaven’s Indigenous procurement strategy and the benefits it can deliver.

“Blackwater’s work with Ochre has not only created employment opportunities but also facilitated skill development and career growth within the community that will have long-lasting impacts,” he said.

“By working together with local Indigenous businesses, we are helping to build a more inclusive and sustainable local economy.”