Telstra today announced it had given $18.8 million in 2006-07 to help Australians live and work in their local communities – making the company one of the leading corporate donors in the nation.

Releasing Telstra’s annual Corporate Responsibility Report today in Sydney, CEO Sol Trujillo said the company’s significant voluntary community contribution was assessed by the London Benchmarking Group, which evaluated Telstra’s efforts against other participating companies in Australia and New Zealand.

“The analysis found Telstra was ahead of the pack and one of Australia’s most generous corporate contributors,” Mr Trujillo said.

“We believe what is good for Australia is good for Telstra, and we are proud to help improve the quality of life for all Australians with our community investment.

“We have a large footprint across the nation and it makes good business sense to give back to the communities in which we operate.”

The Corporate Responsibility Report highlighted how Telstra’s activities positively impact the community, the workplace, the marketplace and the environment.

Significant highlights of Telstra’s contribution in 2006-07 include:

• Committed $4.3 million through the Telstra Foundation to more than 850 projects to help young Australians reach their potential;
   
• Committed $1.7 million over six years to the Carnegie Mellon University, Heinz School Australia in Adelaide, of which $1.35 million will provide 15 Information Technology post-graduate scholarships;
   
• Provided domestic disaster relief services to customers and communities affected by bush fires in Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia, and floods on the central coast of NSW and in Gippsland, Victoria;
   
• Saved 38,826 tonnes of CO2 equivalent thanks to new projects targeting energy efficiency – comparable to removing more than 8,000 cars from our roads in one year;
   
• Planted 180,567 trees to offset 48,391 tonnes CO2 equivalent – enough to fill the MCG with trees almost 90 times over; and
   
• Assisted over 1.5 million low income customers every month in Australia through the Access for Everyone package for a total benefit of $200 million.

Read the complete report:

• Telstra Corporate Social Responsibility (www.telstra.com.au).