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35. BMA Community Partnerships Program is based on extensive research of community needs
The BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) operates eight coal mines and the Hay Point coal export terminal in central Queensland, Australia. The total output of the mines accounts for more than a quarter of Australia's annual coal exports. For over 30 years, BMA has been supporting the communities in the townships where its employees and their families are located. Following an extensive consultation process to assess ongoing community needs, the BMA Community Partnerships Program was developed and launched.
A review by BMA had shown that the substantial direct and in-kind support for community projects and activities by the company and its individual sites over recent decades was often overlooked or taken for granted.
From the review findings, it became clear that, because of BMA's failure to prioritise and address community needs on a coordinated basis, exacerbated by a period of prolonged and divisive industrial activity in 2000/01, the company was perceived throughout central Queensland as an organisation that did not care about people.
This was a disturbing finding, as BMA is the largest private employer in the region, employing 4500 people. They and their families live in townships that support populations of more than 30 000.
To reinforce its commitment to local communities and to sustainable development of the business, the company set out to develop a community support program that utilised best practice techniques in corporate community involvement.
A broad consultation process was undertaken, involving one-on-one discussions with employees and their families, representatives from local and state government, members of community groups and welfare organisations, training organisations and school principals.
Based on the discussions and an analysis of best practice community programs, the BMA Community Partnerships Program (BMACPP) was developed and officially launched in September 2002.
The BMACPP represents a new coordinated approach to community relations for the company's operations. The program comprises a targeted set of activities and projects, many through partnership arrangements that address needs clearly identified through the community needs assessment process.
Existing community support activities have been combined with a range of new initiatives under a branded, umbrella community relations program. Specifically, six key target areas were identified where BMA's involvement, in partnership with government and community groups, could make a difference. These are:
- youth support
- business and skills training
- community welfare
- sport and recreation
- arts and entertainment
- the environment.
During the consultation phase, many stakeholders talked about the general atmosphere of pessimism and mistrust in the region and warned that any community activities undertaken by the company might be viewed with cynicism.
In particular, women were feeling marginalised and threatened, while young people were leaving the region because of a lack of training and employment alternatives. The remaining youth were unable to access activities available in larger communities.
As a result, the BMACPP targets four key areas, namely:
- access to computer and Internet skills training, particularly for women
- access to improved vocational and adult education and training
- more supervised support for activities for youth
- improved literacy levels among adults and children.
BMA has committed A$2.3 million to implement the Community Partnerships Program through 2002/03 - around double the amount spent on community activities in the previous year, before the launch of the new program.
