First Nations Mining Australia in brief
Known as FNMA and registered as First Nations Mining Australia Pty Ltd, the company looks for mineral deposits in the Pilbara, in the north-west of Western Australia. Its ownership is majority First Nations, and it works side by side with the Yindjibarndi people.
By its own account, the company exists to benefit two groups: the Yindjibarndi people, and people living in Roebourne, a Pilbara town close to Karratha.
It plans to mine commercially under exclusive native title. It names heritage consultation and community transparency as core to that plan.
The company's website, fnma.com.au, carries its own account and latest news.
About the Pilbara
The Pilbara is a huge, thinly populated region in Western Australia's north-west. Iron ore is its best-known export, and the region supplies a large share of the world's seaborne iron ore. Towns such as Karratha, Port Hedland and Roebourne sit near the coast, while most mines lie inland.
Heritage consultation and transparency
In mining, heritage consultation generally means working with Traditional Owners to identify and protect cultural sites before any ground is disturbed. Community transparency means sharing plans and information openly with the people affected. FNMA lists both as central to how it intends to operate.
First Nations Mining Australia leadership
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Michael Woodley | Chair of the board; heads the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation as CEO |
| Marnus Bothma | CEO; trained geologist |
| Dr Kate George | Adviser to the company |
| Adrian Campbell | Managing Partner from 2021 |
The line-up combines the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation's chief executive, a geologist and a commercial partner focused on capital. Campbell's own profile centres on funding and partnerships.
Yindjibarndi native title: the court history
Because the company plans to mine under native title, the legal history is worth knowing. The public record shows three steps:
- 2017, Federal Court. It recognised exclusive native title held by the Yindjibarndi people, over an area that takes in the Solomon Hub mine, operated by Fortescue.
- 2019, Full Federal Court. It dismissed Fortescue Metals Group's appeal against that ruling.
- 2020, High Court. It declined to give Fortescue special leave to appeal.
Solomon Hub is one of Fortescue's iron ore operations in the Pilbara.
Exclusive native title explained
Native title is the legal recognition of rights to land and waters that First Nations peoples hold through their own law and custom. The Native Title Act 1993 sets out how those rights are recognised. Under that Act, granting a mining tenement over native title land usually triggers a right for the native title holders to negotiate.
The rights vary from case to case. An exclusive determination sits at the top of that range. Holders of exclusive native title have the right to possess and occupy the area, to use and enjoy it, and to keep others out.
These are court facts, not commentary. The Yindjibarndi people speak for themselves through their own organisations, and this page does not speak on their behalf.
Adrian Campbell's role at First Nations Mining Australia
Campbell took on the Managing Partner role in 2021. On FNMA's website, his profile covers three areas:
- Solar. Over 6 MW of solar generating capacity across Australia is credited to him, from his early clean energy businesses. That history is on the International Solar Solutions page.
- Raising capital. He has raised capital widely, at home and abroad, for property developments, tech companies and mining.
- Partnerships. His focus is on attracting financial and industry partners to the company.
That is the company's description of him, summarised. No exploration, production or financial results are claimed here.
The role draws on a long run in Australian business. Campbell was 19 when he started his first company, a Gold Coast solar installer, and he has raised money for ventures in several industries since.
Keeping profits in Australia and in the community
Campbell's FNMA profile records two beliefs. First, he is firmly of the view that profits made in Australia should remain in the country. Second, he wants to build a strong company whose profits are shared with the members of its community.
Neither is a claim about results. What the company delivers for the Yindjibarndi community is for that community to judge, not for this page.
He applies a similar idea in Indonesia, where Kinnara Capital runs community days and school donations near its Lombok land. See community work on Lombok.
Campbell's other roles in Australia
Campbell is based in Indonesia, where he runs the property marketplace Kinnara and serves as CEO of Kinnara Capital, which develops property on Lombok. FNMA is one of several roles he keeps in Australia. Prestige Pinnacle Realty, a prestige residential agency, has had him as Managing Director from 2020. Earthcon Civil, a civil works contractor, added him as a Director in 2021.
His formal training is in finance and property. His qualifications include diplomas in property and in credit management, and an advanced diploma in financial planning.
All of his businesses are listed on the companies page, with the full background in his profile.