By David Spring,
PT Columnists, Melbourne Australia
(Hatanga ‘Together’ – trainees who received the Australian construction ‘White Card’ training from BY Group in October 2022. Photo Source Hatanga Group)
When Penny Wong, Australia’s new Foreign Minister visited Honiara in June, she restated a new direction in Australian foreign policy – a first nations foreign policy. It is an idea that resonates readily with politicians and everyday people, but what exactly does it mean? As policymakers grappled with the implications, who would have thought that the first tangible evidence of what it could mean would be in the infrastructure industry?
Not hatched in departmental back rooms but born of practical business needs and innovation, Hatanga of Solomon Islands and BY Group, an indigenous Australian firm, formed an agreement to work together on a range of business enterprises. In a ceremony in October, celebrating the indigenous cultures of both countries, the arrangement was formalised in the presence of high-level dignitaries, indicating the significance of the intiative.
What’s new?
International firms have long made partnerships with local firms, to give them an enduring presence, greater legitimacy to operate, local knowledge and access to materials, plant and labour – all to provide a competitive edge. Fletcher-Kwaimani is a good Solomon Islands example of this.
The Hatanga – BY Group partnership is different. For starters, the unique character of each firm has been intentionally retained. Further, the partnership is not for the sole purpose of BY Group winning work in Solomon Islands as a head contractor. And, the benefits are mutual: for upskilling workers through formal training and work experience, sharing of resources and systems and for developing business strategies. The partnership will promote stronger local contractor participation in the delivery of national infrastructure projects.
Why now?
As Hatanga General Manager, Jeremy Bartlett says, ‘the time is right. We’ve had a lot of disruptions and difficulties during COVID, in getting projects off the ground, in getting the best trainers in, in sourcing skills. Our partnership with BY Group gives us access to the support we’ve been looking for.’
BY Group’s work in Australia includes buildings and civil works for Australian Government clients – experience that will enable specific expertise to be applied to Australian aid programs such as the Solomon Islands Infrastructure Program (SIIP). BY Group’s indigenous identity also gives them access to Australian’s indigenous procurement policy. Combining this with the Solomon Islands Government’s push for the inclusion of “local content” means that, large or small, locally or foreign funded, the firms will be able to demonstrate consistency with these requirements.
BY Group walks the talk. They are not only certified as an indigenous firm, 50% of their staff are indigenous. They are FSC accredited for their safety systems and ISO accredited for all their systems. Malcolm Devin, BY Group’s General Manager is proud of what these accreditations demonstrate about their capabilities, but is interested in the social outcomes that can be achieved: “By putting thought into how projects are procured, governments and agencies can get more than just hard infrastructure outcomes – the community benefits too.”
Hatanga is Solomon Islands’ largest construction firm, delivering buildings, civil works and logistics for almost 12 years for government and agencies. Hatanga means ‘together’ and sees its work as an opportunity to create value for communities. Local content in the construction industry is about developing capabilities and joining with BY Group enables rapid, intentional and strategic development of both broad and specialist capabilities.
Nations first with First Nations
The Hatanga – BY Group partnership demonstrates that, whether by design or coincidence, business imperatives can support foreign and domestic policy agendas. Both the Australian and Solomon Islands Governments have reason to support this partnership. Seeing it flourish will fulfill overlapping visions for what the two nations can achieve together – significance, recognition and growing economic and social capital. First Nations foreign policy may indeed mean putting another nation’s priorities first.
Solomon Islands 
Papua New Guinea 
