Building Strong Partnerships
At Chevron, we are committed to building collaborative and mutually beneficial partnerships with the communities in which we operate.
In Australia, our social investment programs are concentrated on the West Pilbara region in northwestern Western Australia, home to the Gorgon and Wheatstone projects, and on the Perth metropolitan area, where Chevron Australia Pty Ltd is headquartered. We focus on delivering measurable long-term results in five areas: economic development, health, education, sense of community and environment.
Economic Development
We partner with organizations that empower individuals to create new businesses, increase the availability of locally provided goods and services, and contribute to a community's economic growth and diversity.
We have invested in Many Rivers Microfinance Limited's initiative to employ field officers in West Pilbara and Perth to help indigenous and other Australians develop small businesses.
We support the Small Business Centre in West Pilbara in its work to provide business development and mentoring services in the region. And we recently created the Chevron West Pilbara Business Support Program.
Health
We are committed to the health and welfare of people in the communities where we work. We focus on community health needs that affect people living in West Pilbara, including early childhood diseases, chronic lifestyle diseases, mental health and sexually transmitted diseases.
Our partnership with the Telethon Speech and Hearing Earbus program is helping children in the Pilbara region who have middle-ear infections. Mobile ear clinics travel to remote townships in the region to screen and treat children.
Education
We support educational and vocational programs that enhance employment opportunities and give access to careers in the oil and gas industry. We invest in programs that improve school attendance and basic educational skills, including literacy and math, and that address barriers to employment.
Our support includes:
- A funding partnership with the local football organization, V Swans, to help Onslow youth stay in school and excel while leading healthier lifestyles
- Partnering with The Smith Family, a national children's charity, to help children from low-income families complete their education
- Working with the Beacon Foundation to help provide youth with pathways to employment
- A significant partnership with Scitech's Beyond the Beaker program, which takes interactive science to the classroom
- Providing funding to train Aboriginal health workers through our partnership with Marr Mooditj Training Inc.
- Ongoing partnerships with the University of Western Australia and Curtin University
For 27 years, the Caltex Best All Rounder Award has been one of the most prestigious secondary education awards in Australia. It recognizes final-year students who excel in a number of areas, including academics, attitude, personal conduct, sports, leadership and community service. More than 1,800 schools nationally participated in 2012.
Environment
We are committed to protecting the environment.
Through our partnership with Conservation Volunteers Australia, our employees are encouraged to spend one workday per year helping to restore Perth's iconic Swan and Canning Rivers.
We invest in Wildscreen's award-winning ARKive project, which aims to create greater awareness about the unique wildlife on Barrow Island. The project includes developing multimedia resources for the public and educational materials for schools.
We supported construction of an interactive and educational multipurpose facility for the Kanyana Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, which opened in late 2012.
Sense of Community
We are committed to working with organizations that help build creative and thriving cultures and more vibrant and livable communities.
In 2012, our work was recognized when we were named a joint recipient, along with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, of the 2012 Australia Business Arts Foundation Partnering Award in Western Australia.
Our Chevron Community Spirit Fund, a program that provides grants for local projects in the communities closest to our operations, awarded more than $200,000 to 49 community projects across the Pilbara in 2012.
Since 2011, we have been the naming rights sponsor of the leading community fun run in Western Australia, the Chevron City to Surf for Activ. We encourage our workforce to participate in the event, and in 2012, we had the largest corporate team in the event's history, with more than 2,200 participants.
We also help our cultural and arts partners reach a wider community audience, including one of Australia's largest Aboriginal theater groups, Yirra Yaakin, and Western Australia's flagship theater company, the Black Swan State Theatre Company.
Being a Good Neighbor
Caltex Australia partners with organizations that share our values and make a real difference in the community.
Caltex is a supporter of the Clontarf Foundation, which works to improve the education, discipline, self-esteem, life skills and employment prospects of young aboriginal men. Caltex also supports the Conservation Volunteers' Wild Futures program, which focuses on conservation efforts for Australia's most treasured animals in places where Caltex operates. Caltex is also a fuel sponsor of OzHarvest, a nonprofit organization that rescues excess food in four Australian cities and delivers it to the needy.
Caltex also supports a range of charities through an employee giving program, Fuelling Change. Employees are encouraged to volunteer for activities throughout the year, and all employee donations to Fuelling Change charities are matched by the company.
Caltex promotes driver safety through its support of the Australian Road Safety Foundation, which recognizes innovation. We work to raise awareness of road safety through the Fatality-Free Friday campaign. In partnership with the foundation and the Triple Eight V8 motor racing team, Caltex spreads the road safety message in schools and communities throughout Australia.
Caltex also supports a number of major Australian sporting teams, including several that compete in the Australian Football League.
Updated: April 2013
Cautionary Statement