aboriginal mining companies have been able to secure contracts with the big international mining companies. in 2007, bhp billiton awarded a a$300 million contract to ngarda civil and mining, an aboriginal-owned company, to manage the yarrie mine, the largest ever mining contract awarded to an aboriginal company. as part of the five-year contract, bhp billiton planned to increase the number of aboriginal workers at the mine to 70, out of a total of 90 workers. the managing director of ngarda, brian taylor, saw this contract as a positive step, moving aboriginal people in the region away from government welfare and into permanent employment. western australian aboriginals, in 2007, suffered from an unemployment rate of 14 percent in the state, compared to 3.3% for the general population. of the 12,000 people employed by bhp billiton in its pilbara operations in 2010, 700 were indigenous. rio tinto also, as of 2010, employs 700 indigenous workers in its pilbara operations, comprising 6 percent of its overall work force. fmg, under the leadership of andrew forrest, is driving a national program which aims to find 50,000 jobs for indigenous workers in australia. companies like bhp billiton, fmg and rio tinto have programs aimed at increasing the number of aboriginal employees in their operations. indigenous australians in western australia in 2001 accounted for 3.1% of the population.