Unlocking Potential - Fortescue Metals Group Ltd

The Press Club gets a taste of
Fortescue’s spirit
Fortescue’s Chairman
Andrew Forrest took part
in a prestigious Australian
tradition on May 2 when he
addressed the National Press
Club in Canberra. Since 1963
the club has been addressed
by political leaders, Heads
of State, religious leaders,
innovators and visiting
international figures.
Andrew’s speech addressed the
issue of Indigenous disparity. He
highlighted the need for strong
leadership and the growing
demand for “government to move
to employment as the keystone of
Indigenous policy”.
Andrew was accompanied by
several members of the Fortescue
Family. Senior VTEC Support Worker
Petula Watson thoroughly enjoyed
Andrew’s speech and the Press Club
experience. “Andrew was faced with
a lot of difficult questions and I
thought he responded professionally
and with expertise,” she said. “Walter
Elliott once said that perseverance is
not a long race, it is many short races
one after the other, and I think Andrew’s
vision represents this very well.”
One member of the audience at the
Press Club, Cloudbreak operator
Careen Lee, graduated from a VTEC
training course in July 2008. Since
then her career has flourished
and she is now on secondment to
the Integrated Planning Project.
Careen took some time to share her
Fortescue journey.
“I’m a qualified hairdresser and
before I started my VTEC training I
was working for a local business in
South Hedland. The VTEC course
involved eight days of training in
Perth and after that I had on-site
Careen in
Canberra.
training to be passed out and able to
drive the truck by myself.
Currently I’m working at Cloudbreak
on secondment to the Integrated
Planning Project as part of a team
looking at improving the existing
management operating system. Our
project could lead to an increase of
more than three million tonnes per
annum from the OPF.
I totally agree with Mr Forrest and I’m
proud to say that I work for him – I
have been given a great opportunity
at Fortescue. The VTEC system has
allowed many Aboriginal people,
including myself, the chance to
succeed in whatever it is that we
want to be successful in. I took this
job as it was a goal I always had to be
a ‘miner’. The VTEC training allowed
me to obtain all the skills necessary
to start my career as a heavy
machinery operator.
I like working for Fortescue as the
roster suits my family. My daughter
is school aged and she is used to the
roster now – she knows mum goes
away for one week but then mum
comes home to be with her for a
week.
I want people of a non-Indigenous
race to know that this training is not
a hand out as they may see it. Look
at it like this – it’s just highlighting
a path that we never thought we
could travel on for we never believed
we were equal enough to be able
to take that path. Mr Forrest has
given all Aboriginal Australians the
opportunity to succeed in today’s
society through his initiative, the
VTEC program.”
A copy of Andrew’s speech is
available in the media releases
section on the Fortescue website:
www.fmgl.com.au
23
Petula at
Parliament
House.
Robert Harris, Andrew and
Rodney Parker at The National
Press Club.