Communities
Good community relations are as necessary for our business success as the effective management of our operations. This belief is at the heart of our overall approach to communities work and is why we aim to build good quality relationships with the people who live in the areas where we operate.
With more than 30 operating sites around the country, Australia is home to almost half of our global business and we engage extensively with a variety of communities around Australia. Working with local communities, including Indigenous Australians, in the planning of our operations plays a central role in our business. Doing this ensures that we protect their cultural heritage, and that the social and economic benefits of our mining activities flow through to future generations.
Each year we directly invest around A$100 million in initiatives that help to build sustainable and resilient communities across Australia. These include projects to improve education, health and wellbeing, and to support cultural heritage activities. We support ongoing regional development in the communities in which we work, employing locals, engaging local suppliers and creating commercial infrastructure that lives on after we've finished mining.
We actively seek to understand the social, environmental and economic implications of our activities so we can make the most of the opportunities and benefits they bring and reduce negative impacts. We accept that we cannot always meet everybody's concerns and expectations, but we do seek to achieve broad-based community support. It is about mutual respect, active partnership and long-term commitment.
