s discovered along the headwaters of the South Alligator River valley. Thirteen small but rich uranium mines operated in the following decade, at their peak in 1957 employing over 150 workers. No Aboriginal people were employed at any of these mines.
Early in the 1970s large uranium deposits were discovered at Ranger, Jabiluka and Koongarra. Following receipt of a formal proposal to develop the Ranger site, the Commonwealth Government initiated an inquiry into land use in the Alligator Rivers region. The Ranger Uranium Environmental Inquiry (known as the Fox inquiry) recommended, among other things, that mining begin at the Ranger site, that consideration be given to the future development of the Jabiluka and Koongarra sites, and that a service town be built (Fox et al. 1976, 1977). The Ranger mine and the service town (Jabiru) have had many and considerable impacts on Aboriginal people. Aboriginal people express varying opinions about mining. Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) is the operator of the Ranger uranium mine. ERA is majority owned by Rio Tinto, which holds 68.4 per cent of ERA shares. The rest are publicly held and traded on the Australian Stock Exchange. ERA is one of the leading employers of Indigenous people in the Northern Territory. As at July 2012, ERA�s workforce of 630 full-time equivalent employees included 109 Indigenous employees, and 12 permanent Indigenous contractors, representing approximately 19 per cent. ERA has a targeted Indigenous Employment Strategy which sets out measures and practical pathways to attract, train and retain Indigenous staff
