THE COMMUNITY

Companies make a contribution to the community in many different ways. Primarily, and by far the biggest positive impact a corporation can have on society, is to run its business or businesses successfully, thereby generating employment and adding to general prosperity by the flow-on benefits of its operations to employees, shareholders and suppliers and through the provision of high quality goods and services to customers.

As well as this, companies may choose to provide support in direct and indirect ways to give something back to the communities in which they operate. Wesfarmers has a long history of acceptance of this approach. Each year the Board has the capacity to approve donations to community-benefiting organisations and causes of up to 0.25 per cent of pre tax profit. Areas to which company assistance is currently directed include health care, conservation and the physical and mental wellbeing of young people.

During the year, Wesfarmers entered into a new partnership with the Leeuwin Ocean Adventure Foundation which uses Leeuwin II, Australia’s biggest ocean-going tall ship, for leadership and team building programmes.

In addition to the support from Wesfarmers Limited, very significant amounts are provided by the company’s operating businesses through donations, sponsorship and by raising money through access to facilities and employee involvement. More than $6 million flowed to the community from Wesfarmers and the businesses in this way in 2006/07. Extra funds totalling more than $65 million were raised thanks to the involvement of Bunnings in community-focused initiatives.

The company’s nationally-recognised commitment to supporting the arts continued with Wesfarmers Arts contributing about $550,000 to a range of leading performing and visual arts companies and organisations. The Commissions Series with the Perth International Arts Festival reached a conclusion with the premiere of the opera “The Love of the Nightingale”, which has subsequently won several awards.