Australia
Case Studies
Steel building materials donated to Innisfail's farming community to aid building recovery from tropical Cyclone Larry.
Assistance for Cyclone Larry Recovery
In May 2006, BlueScope Lysaght Townsville, in Queensland, Australia donated A$50,000 worth of steel building materials to Innisfail’s farming community to assist in its recovery from Tropical Cyclone Larry.
Apart from donating building materials, BlueScope Lysaght earlier delivered an emergency supply of steel drainage gutters and other accessories for rebuilding schools. Its network of builders rallied to help by donating their time and services.
BlueScope Steel and its employees also made a cash contribution through its company-wide workplace giving program to the Australian Red Cross Disaster and Emergency Services Fund to further benefit the Innisfail community.
Victoria Community Overview
 |
Since 2002, some 8,000 students from across the Mornington Peninsula have participated in Fit to Drive. |
BlueScope Steel’s Western Port plant supports its local community through sponsorships and community involvement.
In 2005/06, the Company continued to support the Fit to Drive young driver education initiative. The program educates young people about road safety issues and has now expanded to include 96 schools across Victoria.
Western Port employees also supported the local community, participating in projects such as Western Port Secondary College’s Bright Futures – No Dole project.
Fit to Drive a Model of Best Practice
From humble origins on the Mornington Peninsula, the Fit to Drive young driver education program has grown significantly to be recognised throughout the state of Victoria as the preferred senior secondary traffic safety education model for many secondary colleges.
BlueScope Steel has supported Fit to Drive since its inception. In 2006, the program covered 89 percent of schools in the Mornington Peninsula area. Our continuing support allows the ongoing development of the local program which aims to reduce the high number of young drivers and their passengers in road crashes.
Schools across Victoria have embraced the program, with 96 secondary colleges participating in 2006. It is anticipated that 120 colleges will be involved in 2007 and more than 200 by 2009. Since 2002, some 8,000 students from across the Mornington Peninsula have participated in Fit To Drive.
Supporting the Victorian Government’s ‘Arrive Alive’ strategy, Fit to Drive includes the VicRoads ‘Keys Please’ program as a component for year 10 students, with 132 schools running a ‘Keys Please’ session in the south east metropolitan area this year.
This year, young people from the region took part in a Youth Forum to develop their own ideas to reduce the number of road crashes involving younger drivers. As well, 100 new Fit to Drive facilitators were accredited.
Significant connections have also been made with the tertiary institutions of RMIT, Deakin, La Trobe and Victoria Universities and Chisholm Institute in the faculties of youth work, education, psychology and social work to expand the program.
The Fit to Drive model successfully brings together a variety of stakeholders and agencies with an interest in road safety. Representatives from local Government, RoadSafe community groups, Victoria Police, Fire Authorities, VicRoads, the Department of Education and Training and private corporations participate in the statewide committee to ensure the integrity and quality of the Fit to Drive program.
Bright Futures - No Dole Project
Western Port Secondary College Year 10 students pledged to avoid unemployment and commit to their future at a Charter Signing launch for the school's Bright Futures - No Dole project.
The Bright Futures - No Dole project is supported by the Beacon Foundation - a not for profit registered charitable trust, focussed on influencing the attitudes and culture of young Australians to develop their desire to achieve personal success through gainful activities for themselves and their communities.
Western Port Secondary College chose to name their project Bright Futures - No Dole, as it aims to assist the young people in the area to gain knowledge and experience about employment and the workplace. The project helps them make informed decisions regarding their future and avoid unemployment.
BlueScope Steel has been an enthusiastic supporter of this creative grassroots project since it began in 2005.
Illawarra Community Overview
BlueScope Steel has been a keen supporter of Lake Illawarra PCYC Homework Program and the Illawarra Academy of Sport. |
 |
The Illawarra region of NSW is home to a significant part of BlueScope Steel’s business, including the Port Kembla Steelworks and the Springhill Works.
The Company provides substantial support to the local community through a range of community partnerships, which are targeted mainly towards young people, education, arts and culture.
Major community partnerships in 2005/2006 included BlueScope Steel’s Sports Ready Program, the Illawarra Academy of Sport’s Cricket and Individual Athletes Programs and the Lake Illawarra Police Citizens and Youth Clubs (PCYC) Homework Program.
The Company also continues to support a number of major community initiatives including the BlueScope Steel Youth Orchestra, Southern Stars and the region’s Surf Life Saving branches.
In addition to its community partnerships program in the Illawarra, BlueScope Steel provides one-off donations to a range of local community groups, events and causes.
BlueScope Steel's Sports Ready Program
BlueScope Steel’s Sports Ready program is an innovative sporting program targeting children with a disability in primary and special schools.
The program is organised by the Disability Trust's Recreation Illawarra unit and is designed to give all children with a disability the opportunity to experience one of the most valued Australian past times – sport.
Participation in sport provides children with a disability with the necessary skills for positive inclusion in community and school life. The program has been in operation for more than two years and due to its outstanding success now has a waiting list of schools wanting to access it. The sponsorship from BlueScope Steel allows the program to be offered to more children in the region, ensures that each child can afford to participate and that specialised equipment can be purchased.
“We are already seeing children from the program attend out of school activities and some children are participating in mainstream sport at school where before, they were not,” said Wendy Dowler, Service Manager Recreation Illawarra.
“This is due to an increase in confidence and the ability to understand the concepts involved in sport and is a great success for the project,” she said.
Illawarra Academy of Sport
BlueScope Steel has been a keen supporter of the Illawarra Academy of Sport since 1989.
Since its inception in 1986, the Academy has continued to grow and provide quality sporting opportunities for talented athletes in the Illawarra.
The Academy’s Cricket Squad receives tuition in several facets of the game through a variety of coaching techniques. In addition, athletes participate in sport specific education sessions including sports psychology, nutrition, drugs in sport, public speaking and umpiring. The aim of the cricket program is to assist athletes to reach the next level of competition in their sport and to assist with their progression to statewide squads.
In addition to the support provided by corporate partners like BlueScope Steel, the Academy relies heavily on the volunteer support provided by more than 60 sports coaches, support staff and Board members to offer opportunities to talented young sports people.
Lake Illawarra PCYC Homework Program
The Lake Illawarra Police Citizens and Youth Clubs (PCYC) Homework Program provides academic help to local school students.
The program targets students in Years 7 to 10 and provides students with personal attention, with one teacher for every three students. The support of BlueScope Steel’s Community Partnerships Program allows the program to be offered free of charge.
BlueScope Steel’s partnership with the Lake Illawarra PCYC also supports the Police Scouts, a team of talented young gymnasts who compete at national events.
BlueScope Steel Supports State Emergency Service with New Headquarters
State Emergency Service's (SES) new regional headquarters for Illawarra/Southern NSW constructed with BlueScope Steel's assistance using COLORBOND® steel. |
 |
A long-standing relationship with the State Emergency Service (SES) in the Illawarra has led to BlueScope Steel’s assistance with the construction of a new Regional Headquarters for the Illawarra and Southern NSW. The environmentally friendly building, constructed from COLORBOND® steel, was officially opened in March 2006.
The new headquarters is the operational and administrative centre for the SES, covering 11 SES Units.
The NSW State Emergency Service is the state’s response agency for flood and storm emergencies. It has 9,000 volunteers across NSW, including more than 500 in the Illawarra.
Illawarra and South Coast Division Controller, Neil Pfister said SES volunteers could be more effective when supported by the people and businesses they help.
The relationship between the SES and BlueScope Steel has a strong foundation at a local level. In 2001, a very successful “Art on Steel” promotion to celebrate the sale of the five millionth tonne of COLORBOND® steel in Australia, raised over $650,000 for the SES. BlueScope Steel has also supported the SES in the design and production of training materials, providing access to sites for disaster exercises and training, and encouraging our employees who volunteer with the SES.
