Communities

NQBP is committed to meeting its community responsibilities. NQBP respects the aspirations and concerns of its port communities and stakeholders and as a business, acknowledges that social performance is a key factor by which its performance and success is measured by an increasing number of stakeholders.

Through its community and external relations activities, NQBP seeks to demonstrate its belief and commitment to this position. It aims to:

• build awareness and understanding of its operations and activities at its individual ports
• be inclusive and consultative in its dealings, thereby encouraging support within Government, industry, port communities and the wider public
• assist the wellbeing of port communities through the Corporate Communities Program.

Community Initiatives

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority – Reef Guardian Program

NQBP recognises that each of its port communities are different, and as such, it tailors its community initiatives to best suit the local community.

One broad program NQBP has developed in partnership with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) is the Reef Guardian Program.  This program is relevant to NQBP’s business and its community as it aims to educate students and the wider community about the protection of the environment and Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef.

GBRMPA is responsible for the planning and ecosystem-based management of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.  GBRMPA conducts the Reef Guardian Schools (RGS) program to educate and encourage teachers, students and communities to become voluntary stewards of the Great Barrier Reef.  The key objective of the RGS program is to create awareness, understanding and appreciation for the Great Barrier Reef and connected ecosystems.

NQBP has teamed up with GBRMPA to offer a number of NQBP grants to Reef Guardian Schools in our port communities. These schools were encouraged to apply for an NQBP grant to enable them to set up a compost system, purchase water quality monitoring kits or solar panels, implement recycling, plant vegetable or traditional bush gardens or rehabilitate sites close to the school with native plants.

Clean Up Australia Day

Every year in March, hundreds of thousands of Australians get stuck in and clean up their local environment by collecting and removing rubbish for Clean Up Australia Day.

This year NQBP hosted a clean up site in the Mackay Harbour area and supported the clean up efforts in Bowen undertaken by the Bowen State Schools.

The Mackay Harbour clean up had an encouraging response from the community with almost 60 volunteers offering their time to help. A majority of the volunteers were made up of Mackay Central Pathfinders Club, who all did a tremendous job in collecting rubbish.

The Mackay teams collected a total of 86 bags, which included 62 bags of general rubbish and 24 bags of recycled rubbish. A majority of the rubbish was made up of plastic drink containers, aluminium cans, glass bottles and fast food packaging.

NQBP would like to thank all the volunteers that participated on the day.

Mackay Marine Festival 2012

NQBP was a proud sponsor of the 2012 Mackay Marine Festival held at the Harbour on 23 and 24 June.

The Mackay Tinnie and Tackle Show and Offshore Superboat Race teamed up again for a second year at Mackay Marina. This year the festival expanded into Mulherin Park where NQBP provided live bands and children’s entertainment throughout the weekend.