A shared commitment between INPEX, Altrad and Mick’s Cranes Australia (MCA) is creating meaningful opportunities for Aboriginal business participation in the Territory.

What began as a conversation at a Northern Territory Indigenous Business Network Blak Business event has grown into a successful working relationship, delivering tangible outcomes at the Ichthys LNG onshore processing facility in Darwin.

The connection was first established when representatives from Altrad met Mick’s Cranes owner Mick Assan, whose locally owned Aboriginal business has built a strong reputation for providing crane and lifting services across the Territory.

Working together, INPEX and Altrad facilitated the company’s involvement in Altrad’s scope of work at the Ichthys LNG onshore processing facility, creating an opportunity for the business to contribute to one of the Territory’s most significant projects.

For Mick, the engagement represents more than a business achievement.

“This opportunity is significant for our business and our family,” he says.

“We’ve worked hard to build MCA and demonstrate that Aboriginal-owned businesses can deliver safely, reliably and to the highest standards.

“To see our cranes operating at the Ichthys LNG Onshore Facility in Darwin is something we’re incredibly proud of.”

MCA’s involvement reflects the capability and expertise that Aboriginal-owned businesses bring to major industrial projects.

The company has established a strong track record of supporting large-scale operations while creating employment and development opportunities for Aboriginal people in the Territory.

The outcomes demonstrate what can be achieved when industry works together to strengthen local participation and foster local business growth.

“This outcome reflects the dedication and collaboration of everyone involved,” says Altrad Project Manager Steven Hillman.

“It is a positive example of how INPEX, Altrad and MCA have worked together to support Indigenous business participation and create lasting value in the Territory.”

Beyond the immediate project outcomes, the engagement highlights the broader benefits of supplier diversity and Aboriginal business engagement, creating economic opportunities and helping build local capability across the Territory.

This collaboration also supports INPEX’s Reconciliation Action Plan commitments to increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in employment, business development and procurement.

Through partnerships with contractors such as Altrad and businesses like MCA, INPEX is helping strengthen Aboriginal participation within the Ichthys LNG supply chain, supporting local capability and contributing to long-term economic participation across the Territory. TQ