Independence Group Sustainability Report 2019

SUPPORTING THE EARBUS FOUNDATION OF WA IGO is very proud to be supporting the Earbus Foundation of Western Australia, which aims to reduce the incidence and impact of middle ear disease on Aboriginal and at-risk children. Aboriginal children suffer a disproportionate burden of ear disease compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts and the resulting hearing loss has lifelong impacts – if you can’t hear you can’t learn! Earbus works hard to identify children needing care and to get them well. Earbus mobile ear health clinics provide comprehensive ear screening, surveillance and treatment by deploying doctors, audiologists, nurses and ear-nose-throat specialists who visit communities regularly and consistently. Children are seen by all healthcare professionals in one place at one time, so referral is quick and treatment is seamless. “This service model was designed by Aboriginal people, for Aboriginal people and it works to keep children in the treatment pathway from first contact to wellness,” said Earbus Foundation CEO Paul Higginbotham. Earbus have visited Esperance in a limited capacity for a few years and sought to expand its program in the region and commence visits to Norseman. With IGO’s support, Earbus expanded its involvement in the community. The first four-day trip in 2019 included visits to Castletown Primary School, Esperance Primary School, Norseman District High School, Nulsen Primary School and Wongutha Christian Aboriginal Parent-Directed School. A high number of children between the ages of 0 and four were seen on this trip, exceeding the benchmark expectation. It is important to be able to implement this early intervention work on middle ear disease for Aboriginal and at-risk children. The program is boasting terrific engagement and consent from all the new schools and sites visited, with 339 children seen across the four-day trip and 93 per cent of them being new to the program. IGO provided $50,000 to the 2019 program, and with this support Earbus can now schedule a four-day trip to the region every school term, ensuring that the local kids get the attention they need. RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE, PERTH Ronald McDonald House provides a home away from home for regional families in Western Australia who have a sick child receiving hospital treatment in Perth. The charity provides free accommodation to families that need to travel far from home to obtain specialist medical care for a sick child. The house creates a safe and comfortable environment where the whole family can stay together for the duration of their child’s treatment. IGO began its partnership with Ronald McDonald House in 2016. During FY19, we continued our sponsorship of a room in the Ronald McDonald House. These rooms give families with sick kids the gift of togetherness and keep them near the care and resources they need to thrive. ‘UP ALL NIGHT’ MARATHON In December 2018, a team of 11 IGO employees walked 42km for the inaugural ‘Up All Night’ overnight marathon for Ronald McDonald House Charities. IGO collectively raised $23,478 and IGO’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Peter Bradford was the second highest ranked individual fundraiser overall – raising $7,500 on his own. The event itself raised over $730,000, with 9,919 individual donors. IGO are proud to announce we are the major sponsor for the November 2019 ‘Up All Night’ event, hoping to build on the success of 2018. ESPERANCE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL In December 2018, IGO ran a work experience program at its Nova Operation for six Year 10 students to experience working life on an operating mine site. The program provided a real hands-on experience, as the students and teachers lived on site and worked 12-hour shifts with mentors from the mine’s Mining, Environmental and Engineering departments. In June 2019, we also sponsored ‘Winning in Overtime’, which is an afterschool student tuition program designed to help students with homework and study. The program is staffed by a range of volunteers including parents, teachers, Clontarf Academy staff, Year 11 and 12 students and the Esperance Girls Academy staff. The ‘Winning in Overtime’ program fosters a positive attitude towards schoolwork and, for some students, it is the only time they will do schoolwork or spend time with an adult helping them outside of regular school hours. OZHARVEST In November 2018, IGO participated in a month-long volunteer program, Operation OzHarvest. OzHarvest is a for-impact organisation with a driving purpose to ‘Nourish Our Country’. It began with a simple concept to rescue good food that would otherwise go to waste and deliver it to charities who feed vulnerable men, women and children in need. IGO’s contribution for the month helped with an incredible 111,549kg of surplus produce being distributed to over 80 charitable agencies across Perth and the greater metropolitan area. We also created 51 food hampers which were donated to the vendors at The Big Issue, who support those that are disadvantaged and are experiencing homelessness. A total of 22 IGO volunteers also helped provide 150 meals to Emmaus, a homeless service provider for those with mental illness. CORPORATE GIVING CONTRIBUTIONS ($ MILLION) FY19 0.48 FY18 0.25 FY17 0.29 FY16 0.22 FY15 0.21 IGO SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2019 — 61