OZ Minerals strives to build long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with local communities in the locations in which we operate. Open, honest and proactive engagement is essential to the success of these relationships and to OZ Minerals maintaining its social licence to operate.

At each operation we have a community relations team that works directly with communities impacted by our activities. These teams ensure OZ Minerals responds quickly and appropriately to concerns or grievances and keep communities informed regarding any planned changes to our activities.

In conjunction with the operation’s management and other key stakeholders, community relations teams coordinate activities associated with social impact assessment and monitoring, cultural heritage, compensation and community investment programs. Engagement with communities impacted by OZ Minerals exploration activities is supported by operational community relations teams and the Group Office exploration team.

Regular meetings with community representative groups are a key means of consultation at each of our operations. At Sepon the Community Issues Consultative Committee (CICC) meets monthly to discuss the operations’ activities and address community grievances. Meetings of the CICC are attended by Sepon senior management and community relations staff, government representatives, special interest groups and a senior representative from each village within the area of the operation. At Century regular meetings with Native Title Groups and the Queensland Government are a component of the Gulf Communities Agreement. The operation also convenes a community meeting at its Karumba port facility on a quarterly basis. Rosebery mine, on the west coast of Tasmania, facilitates regular “townhall” meetings to discuss the operations activities and the impact these may have on the local community.

Community consultation also occurs informally, through one-on-one discussions with individuals and community visits by OZ Minerals representatives. In locations such as Sepon and Rosebery, where communities are located within close proximity to our operations interactions are frequent and OZ Minerals representatives are readily accessible to communities. In some of the more remote locations in which we operate, such as Century and Prominent Hill, distance is a challenge to successful engagement with our local communities. To ensure communities across the Gulf of Carpentaria regularly have an opportunity to express concerns and hear updates from Century’s management team, the operation conducts regular community visits. Each quarter Century’s General Manager spends a week visiting communities, including Mornington Island, Burketown, Doomadgee and Normanton.

OZ Minerals is working toward all operations having comprehensive community engagement plans in place by the end of 2009.