Mining identity Ken Brinsden has urged his peers not to "overthink" the voice to parliament and simply embrace what it can achieve.
The former boss who helped build Pilbara Minerals into Australia's leading lithium company, and now chairs Patriot Battery Metals, threw his weight behind the voice at an annual mining gathering in Kalgoorlie on Tuesday.
"I'd say the voice is a step in the right direction," he told the Diggers and Dealers mining forum.
"I'd say don't overthink it because it's going to be important to us contributing to embracing Aboriginal culture more fully," he said.
Mining bosses also expressed surprise at confirmation of the West Australian government's backflip on cultural heritage protections, after having a hand in developing the stronger laws to avoid a repeat of past harms.
WA Premier Roger Cook on Tuesday axed the month-old cultural heritage laws following widespread anger among the farming community.
Some critics had also said the laws were making it harder to garner support for the "vote yes" case on the voice to parliament
The government said a "common sense approach" would help prevent another incident such as Rio Tinto's destruction of sacred caves at Juukan Gorge.
But Mr Brinsden said stronger laws had been "heading in the right direction".
A theme of day two of the forum has been a focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks.
For mining, the "s" in ESG increasingly includes a strong focus on working with First Nations communities and including Indigenous workers and suppliers on the payroll, delegates heard.
