Engagement
Our approach to community engagement involves providing information about our activities in a timely, clear, open and transparent manner as well as seeking feedback from communities to understand potential impacts, so they can be avoided or mitigated.
Communication activities during 2008 included:
- Community newsletters and fact sheets for: the Kestrel Mine extension project, Rio Tinto Coal Australia Climate Change, Hail Creek Mine recruitment, the Clermont Mine project, the Aboriginal Development Consultative Committee (ADCC), Mount Pleasant project, Hunter Valley South project and the Lower Hunter lands project
- Clermont Conveyor newsletter for the Clermont community providing updates on the Clermont Mine project and Blair Athol Mine
- Community Development Fund annual reports outlining projects supported and their outcomes
- Digital development of the employee newsletter, Mine Matters, which is now available publicly from the Rio Tinto Coal Australia website.
Read these publications in our media centre.
Rio Tinto Coal Australia has found its community consultative committees to be an important and effective way of consulting with local communities. Separate committees are in place at the Mount Pleasant Project, Mount Thorley Warkworth and Hunter Valley Operations in New South Wales and at Blair Athol Mine and the Clermont Mine project in Queensland. A committee for the Kestrel Mine was established in 2008. The committees provide a forum for Rio Tinto Coal Australia and its local communities to share information and provide feedback on existing or proposed activities.
Other consultation activities during 2008 included:
- Clermont Preferred Futures project - Rio Tinto Coal Australia was an active supporter of this project, led by Belyando Shire Council (now part of the new Isaac Regional Council). In 2008, the project moved to implementation with the appointment of a dedicated officer at Isaac Regional Council
- Clermont Community Consultative Committee (CCC) was established and continued to meet to discuss both Blair Athol and Clermont mine projects
- Undertaking community surveys to guide the reallocation of community development funds. These surveys were conducted in early 2008 in Mackay, Clermont and Emerald to identify community needs and to inform Hail Creek Mine, Clermont and Kestrel Mine fund allocations
- All sites continued with near neighbour programmes throughout 2008 to maintain regular contact and engagement with our neighbours.