Gladstone

Rio Tinto Aluminium has been involved in the Gladstone region community for more than 40 years and aims to be the preferred partner for the local community. We seek to build enduring relationships with neighbours based on mutual respect, active partnership and long term commitment. We do this by establishing and maintaining relationships that contribute positively to the community's quality of life and by supporting partnerships that build capacity and promote community growth and sustainability.

There has been a concerted effort to increase the local Indigenous community's access to employment at Boyne Smelters Limited and Yarwun. As part of a broader Gladstone-wide effort, Rio Tinto Aluminium employees have spent many hours briefing employment agencies, local schools and the Indigenous community about employment opportunities and requirements at their operations. An important development has been the establishment of the Goorie Pre-Employment Programme. Instigated by Rio Tinto Aluminium, six of the region's major industrial operations joined together to offer participants a 20-week programme including site work experience and formal TAFE studies. The Federal Department of Employment and Workplace Relations funded the Goorie programme. Rio Tinto Aluminium provided funding for Gladstone Area Group Apprentices Limited to support participants through a mentoring programme.

Rio Tinto aims to work with neighbours to build enduring relationships, based on mutual respect, active partnership and long term commitment. The Boyne Smelters Limited (BSL) Community Forum was established in December 2005 to facilitate communication between the smelter and members of the neighbouring community of Boyne Island/Tannum Sands. With its closest neighbours located only 600 metres from the smelter, BSL General Manager and Forum Chairman Brian Cooper said it was imperative that the community felt they had an effective mechanism to raise issues of concern directly with BSL management. The forum of nine members (including two BSL employees) meets quarterly and is updated on the smelter's progress and current activity. Guest speakers may also attend to discuss particular topics of interest such as climate change, environmental monitoring, the Rio Tinto Aluminium Community Fund and the activity of the Boyne Smelter Development team. BSL established the forum to build relationships and facilitate two-way communication between BSL and the community.

The Fund was established in 2002 to support community-initiated projects that address skills development, sustainable employment and the environment. An Advisory Board makes funding decisions based upon whether a project addresses the key objectives, will generate long term benefits that do not currently exist and has the potential to become self-sustaining. The Fund has allocated more than $1.7 million to a range of projects to date. A specific project that benefits young people is the Business Information Technology Skills Centre. Students interested in pursuing further study or careers in business and information technology elect to study at the skills centre where they complete school subjects and commercial work in a business environment. More information is available from the Fund's Executive Assistant Michelle Hunter.

In early 2006, Rio Tinto Aluminium commissioned an innovative research project called Our Mutual Sustainability. The project investigated the opinions of the Gladstone community about Rio Tinto Aluminium, the socio-economic profile of the region and quantified Rio Tinto Aluminium's economic contribution to the region. The community opinion research was conducted by The University of Queensland's Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining and The University of Queensland's Social Research Centre. This information was combined with findings of SGS Economics & Planning, a Brisbane-based consultancy that conducted the socio-economic research. The research found that the Gladstone regional economy was worth $7.8 billion in 2005 and Rio Tinto Aluminium's business interests (through BSL, Rio Tinto Aluminium Yarwun and its interests in Queensland Alumina Limited and the Gladstone Power Station) accounted for $1.65 billion, or 21 per cent, of the regional economy. The project has helped Rio Tinto Aluminium understand its impact on the region.

Building relationships: Yarwun State School

Even before construction began, Rio Tinto Aluminium employees have worked to build strong relationships with their nearest neighbours - the community of Yarwun. Yarwun is a small township and the school is the centre and soul of the community. The refinery is an active supporter of the school of 50 students. It has supported the construction of a shade structure for the school playground and is an ongoing sponsor of the Newspapers in Education and You Can Do It programmes. Yarwun State School celebrated its centenary in 2006 and a Rio Tinto Aluminium Yarwun representative was a member of the Centenary Committee. The refinery also supported the publication of a commemorative booklet and provided a marquee, event management support and other promotional items for the event.