Community
We consider our community in every decision we make
Talison Lithium is located in the picturesque South West region of Western Australia, a short distance from the historic town of Greenbushes in the Shire of Bridgetown Greenbushes. We recognise our operations impact on our community and towns along the haulage route for our products and we work hard to reduce these impacts and create new opportunities for growth.
Talison is committed to operating in a responsible and sustainable manner and critical to this commitment is working with the communities in which we operate to achieve positive outcomes now and into the future.
Respect
Talison Lithium respects and values the community. We are in the privileged position of being able to work in partnership with many local organisations to invest in a range of community projects and programs within our Shire and across our region to foster viable and sustainable communities. Our current partnerships are with Foodbank, St George’s College Perth, Edith Cowan University (Work Integrated Learning), Greenbushes Primary School, Chamber of Minerals and Energy Digital Technologies Program for schools in the Warren Blackwood Education District, and Blackwood Youth Action Group (supporting mental health and wellbeing in young people in the Warren-Blackwood district).
Support
We support our communities in a variety of ways including providing financial and in-kind assistance for community programs and projects; tourism initiatives and festivals; environment- based activities and schools/educational programs. We provide cash donations to many community organisations surrounding our Greenbushes Operation each year as part of our community relations program, providing economic and social benefits. For more information or an application form and guidelines for our Community Support Programme please email GBContact@talisonlithium.com.
Local Contributions
Talison Lithium is currently one of Australia’s largest corporate taxpayers, and is the Warren Blackwood region’s largest corporate philanthropist. Click below for a summary of our 2023 local contributions.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Each year Talison Lithium works with a range of community groups to help deliver the things that matter in our community, whether it be assistance to build a new recreation facility, funding to help buy a community bus or support to Foodbank to provide a healthy breakfast to students attending schools across the South West.
Community Groups
Despite having a resident population of only 600 residents Greenbushes has an active community with more than 15 community groups adding to the vibrancy and sustainability of the town.
Our employees are supportive members of many of these small groups and organisations.
Discovery Centre
The Greenbushes mine has been closely involved with the Greenbushes Discovery Centre since the centre was established in the mid- 1990s. Support includes provision of the Discovery Centre’s historic building for a peppercorn rent, in- kind and financial assistance to build the unique interactive displays housed within the centre and promotion of the centre through educational mine tours. The centre houses a replica underground mine complete with simulated mine blast, a virtual indoor forest and a Land Dome featuring flora and fauna from the forest. Talison is proud to support the Centre by enabling young people undertaking our annual traineeships to volunteer at the Discovery Centre on Fridays between 10:00am and 2:00pm.
Grow Greenbushes Incorporated
Talison Lithium is proud to work collaboratively with this volunteer community organisation to develop projects that benefit the local community. A representative from Talison attends the monthly meetings of Grow Greenbushes to provide community updates on mine activities. Talison Lithium is actively involved in the Greenbushes Fun Run and Mountain Bike Race and other events or projects coordinated by Grow Greenbushes each year.
Greenbushes Community Garden
This fertile garden was established in the heart of Greenbushes when the Greenbushes mining operations gifted back land at the town’s main intersection for development as a Town Square and Community Garden. Run by a sub- committee of Grow Greenbushes, this thriving and productive garden provides opportunities for people to learn new skills and to connect with others in their community.
Greenbushes Community Resource Centre
Talison Lithium provides premises at a peppercorn rent for the Greenbushes Community Resource Centre (CRC), a government funded not for profit organisation which delivers social and economic benefits to the community through a range of programmes and services. Support for the CRC also includes cash and in-kind assistance with projects including the development of the Greenbushes Community Shed at the rear of the premises.
Greenbushes Branch of the Returned Services League
Established in 1919 this group supports returned servicemen and women and their families. The RSL owns an historic hall in the town’s main street and provides social support and activities for RSL members. Talison Lithium provides assistance to the group for events such as ANZAC Day, Remembrance Day and special events.
Greenbushes Aged Community Committee (GACC)
This active group manages aged accommodation units (Stinton Gardens) in Greenbushes to enable seniors to remain in their own community when they can no longer live in their own homes. Talison Lithium provides in-kind support for projects and activities to benefit the residents of Stinton Gardens.
Greenbushes Volunteer Bushfires Brigade
Talison Lithium’s safety team members provide core support for the local Greenbushes Volunteer Bushfires Brigade and supported the establishment of a facility in town to house fire equipment and provide a response centre in times of danger or emergency. Safety team members also provide a First Responder service to community members.
GREENBUSHES CWA BELLES
The Greenbushes Country Women’s Association Belles group works to improve the wellbeing of all people particularly those in country areas by promoting courtesy, cooperation, community effort, ethical standards and wise use of resources. The local group meets monthly and plans social and fundraising activities to provide friendship, fun, fellowship and support.
GREENBUSHES MASONIC LODGE
The Greenbushes Masonic Lodge is one of the oldest community groups in the district. The organisation provides educational scholarships for the local school and its members regularly volunteer alongside other community groups on projects to improve facilities and social interaction in the district.
BLACKWOOD BASIN GROUP
The Blackwood Basin Group is a not for profit, community based group that coordinates environmental management projects within the Blackwood River Catchment. Talison Lithium has worked in partnership with Blackwood Basin Group for several years on a number of projects including the Priority Bittern and Waterbird Biodiversity (Waterbird) Project to create a wetland haven at Schwenke’s Dam, an historic mining void on Spring Gully Road Greenbushes. The four year Waterbird Project also had support from the Department of Parks and Wildlife, a number of agencies, Local Government and community groups. The partnership is ongoing with the recent installation of floating islands on the dam to attract wading birds and plans for more monitoring of bird species at the wetlands.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Public Mine Lookout
Talison Lithium provides the community and visitors the opportunity to obtain a birds-eye-view of the mining operations with a visit to the Public Mine Lookout. This Lookout, on Telluride Street at the edge of the town, features interpretive signage about the history of Greenbushes and affords a view across the open cut pits. The lookout is open 8:00am to 5:00pm daily.
Greenbushes Primary School
The Greenbushes Primary School is one of our closest neighbours and Talison is pleased to provide significant support to the school. In 2021 Talison Lithium signed a partnership with the school to provide ongoing support including provision of funding for participation in the Fogarty EDvance School Improvement Program and resources for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM). Our employees are also involved in Clean Up Australia Day initiatives with students, National Schools Tree Day and the Bush Block Restoration project to care for bushland opposite the school grounds. Another important cooperative venture is the Community Co- Mingled Recycling Scheme which is jointly run by Talison Lithium and the school.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Talison Lithium supports various community events in the South West region. These include the Bridgetown Agricultural Show, Balingup Small Farm Field Day, Donnybrook Apple Festival, Greenbushes Music and Art Festival Weekend, Greenbushes Community Christmas Tree, Greenbushes Fun Run and Mountain Bike Event, Blues at Bridgetown, Bridgetown Rotary Road Cycle Race, Bridgetown Rotary Blackwood Marathon Relay, Bridgetown Easter Tennis Tournament and the Tour of Margaret River Road Cycle Race.
Open Days
Providing an opportunity for people in our community to learn more about what we do is important. We host Mine Open Days on a regular basis to enable people the opportunity to visit our mine lookouts and processing plants. These are held every second year and on special anniversaries or milestones. The next Open Day at Talison will take place on Saturday 7th October 2023.
Donations
Talison Lithium receives many requests for donations from individuals and community groups from Greenbushes and surrounding towns and the wider region. Talison supports a wide range of initiatives from local events, sporting opportunities for young people and driver development for our teens to name just a few with an emphasis on supporting not for profit organisations in the Shires of Bridgetown Greenbushes, Donnybrook-Balingup, Nannup, Boyup Brook and Manjimup Shires.
All donations must be made in writing and are considered by the site Stakeholder Engagement Group. The contact email for enquiries about our Community Support Programme is GBContact@talisonlithium.com.
Foodbank
Talison Lithium has stepped in to help fight hunger by sponsoring Foodbank and providing a delivery truck at the Bunbury depot to enable the organisation to carry out its vital service in collecting and delivering food to needy people in the South West, including for the South West Schools Breakfast Programme. Each year we work with Foodbank on projects to fight hunger.
Education and Tours
Talison Lithium provides guided tours of the Greenbushes Operation for school and community groups throughout the year. Applications for these visits are considered on a case-by-case basis and approved by the General Manager. Past visitors have included schools from Perth and country areas in Western Australia as well as seniors and community interest groups.
Our staff also participate in school visits to promote careers in science and are keen to inspire the next generation of people working in the resources industry.
To support country students embarking on careers in science Talison Lithium sponsors accommodation scholarships for three country students to live at the University of Western Australia’s residential college - St George’s College in Perth while studying an undergraduate science degree.
