Second Week Department of Mines and Petroleum

Hi Guys,

Today marks the second week of my work placement with the Department of Mines and Petroleum. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Department to date and personally look forward to the coming weeks. The week’s tasks have varied significantly from articles for Newsflash, Staff E Newsletter and Director Generals Newsletter to attending and organising various Industry briefings and Department events.

One particular article I wrote for Prospect (Industry Magazine focusing on local issues) involved me attending a conference surrounding the issue of Uranium mining. The briefing was held by a very experienced and highly respected employee of the Department by the name of Dr Ivor Roberts. Having previously worked on a project in Pr Consultancy for the Anti-Uranium Association of WA I had already mixed views and perceptions of the issue. The Western Australian Government is in support of Uranium mining in WA, so adapting to the Departments perspective wasn’t exactly an easy task. This was due to the ideas and arguments I had developed from the opposite perspective opposing Uranium mining. My task was to write an article on why Uranium mining doesn’t contaminate water by demonstrating the scientific facts and figures.

One thing this task demonstrated was the sometimes complex circumstances you may be faced with in a Public Relations Role. Luckily I had a fairly neutral perspective on Uranium mining in WA, however if I was strongly opposing it and I had to write an article supporting it, this would be typically hard to come to grips with. I understand that you could ask to be stood down from the article due to personal values and beliefs, but I wonder just what effect that would have on your ability to communicate on future issues within the Department. Some issues especially in mining and petroleum often evoke strong personal and moral dilemmas and adjusting to conform to policy would be typically difficult.

I also found it particularly important to follow corporate policy and regulation when writing articles within the Department. Each article is severely edited by numerous members of the Department before it is approved to publish. Articles all follow a similar layout and structure really focusing on key points and messages. The use of expert opinion through quotes of educated employees is also very much regarded. In all I found this week really rewarding and informative giving me good insights into the role of public relations professionals. Until next time,

Vaughan Graham
Curtin University, Bentley