While Australian mining companies agree that a “social licence” is a necessary justification for them to be able to operate in local communities, there is no clarity or consensus regarding what the requirements of such a “social licence” must be, according to a recent study.
The study employed a content and discourse analysis of 18 sustainability reports published by five leading Australia-based mining companies in the period 2004-08 alongside primary interviews with employees of mining corporations.
To clearly define and legitimise the concept of a “social licence”, Australian mining corporations must bridge the gap between the theoretical conceptions of social licences and the practical implications of sustainable development.
Read more at The University of Melbourne