Kwinana

Kwinana is an expanding community located 25 minutes south of Perth, Western Australia set on the shores of Cockburn Sound. The town takes its name from a Kimberley Aboriginal word meaning `pretty maiden' and supports a population of nearly 21,000 people.

The Town of Kwinana was planned in the early 1950's by the State Government to support the development of industry in the area.

The nearby Kwinana industrial area is now the premier industrial site in Western Australia and is a major contributor to the State's economy.

The relationship between Kwinana industry and the local community is strengthened by a shared environment and a desire to be good neighbours. Effectively balancing the needs of the community, industry and the environment is important.

Maintaining this balance of industrial and economic activity and growing environmental expectations from community have seen a focus on technology and innovation, such as noise monitoring and water recycling. Rio Tinto Iron Ore's HIsmelt® operations are one of many businesses demonstrating good practice - not just in production, but also in their environmental safeguards.

HIsmelt values its local communities and encourages involvement and interaction wherever possible.

At a local level, HIsmelt has forged strong links with stakeholders in the Kwinana, Rockingham and Cockburn districts of the Perth metropolitan area and provides sponsorship for community projects in these areas.

A key focus of activity in the region is to help develop the next generation of skilled workers, particularly through training and educational programmes, so they can support the continued growth and success of this thriving industrial sector.

HIsmelt's programmes and partnerships during 2006 included:

• Cockburn Wetlands Education Centre
• Learning for Life programme (Kwinana) - The Smith Family
• Naragebup Rockingham Regional Environment Centre
•  Real World Science Project.

To find out more about HIsmelt's sponsorship and guidelines for support, please visit www.hismelt.com.au