The Energy Resources Australia owned Ranger Uranium Mine near Jabiru today celebrated the employment of the 100th indigenous worker.

 

Company directors, government ministers and the media were given a tour of the mine and a chance to meet some of those employees.

 

Mining began at Ranger in 1979 and it now supplies about ten per cent of the world's uranium.

 

Chief executive Rob Atkinson says today's milestone was a long time coming.

 

"We are absolutely thrilled to bits by where we're at, not only today, but maintaining that level and we have high hopes that we'll get more significant numbers in future years."

 

He admits the company could have done better to employ more indigenous workers before now.

 

"I think Australian industry, Australian business hasn't done terribly well in this field at all.

 

"We can't look back too much, it is about looking forward and certainly over the last few years, we've been putting an awful lot of work in there."

 

Indigenous training program coordinator for ERA Ray Gentle says the target of 100 employees was set two years ago.

 

"We looked at the flexible opportunities within the business, we looked at the truck driving opportunities in the mine and ran a truck driving training course.

 

"Then we looked at Oenpelli and we talked with the guys over there and worked out a flexible working arrangement."

 

Indigenous employees Darryl Tambling and Gabby Gumurdul both agree working at the mine gives them a sense of pride and dignity.

 

Northern Territory Chief Minister Paul Henderson congratulated ERA on its announcement.

 

"100 indigenous employees, 20 per cent of the work force and sustained, is a great achievement and a lot of the companies could follow the lead set by ERA."

 

The ABC contacted the Gundjeihmi Association for comment from the Mirrar Traditional Owners but none were available for comment. Touring the Ranger mine

 

It's a glorious sight from the observation deck at the top of the Ranger uranium open pit mine.

 

Every day thousands of tonnes of dirt are extracted by truck from the pit which is now approximately one kilometre long, 600 metres wide and 170 metres deep.

 

Energy Resources Australia's indigenous liaison officer Matthew Large explains the mining process.

 

"We've got the diggers loading the dump trucks and the dump trucks will then make a very slow journey outside of this pit and up to the stockpiles.

 

"It's then delivered to the romp pad and from there the processing plant takes over, where it's ground down."

 

Mining technician Mickitja Onus operates the leaching facility in the processing plant.

 

"The mills are like a big cement mixer that turn the ore into a slurry and crush it up so we can run it through our leach tanks.

 

"It goes through a number of chemical processes before it's fed up into our calciner where it's baked and it comes out as the end product, drummed U308."