Australian Gas Light Company Citizenship Case Study: Improving the Lives of those Touched by our Business

Goddard T¹*, Healy F²*

1. Centre for Research into Disability and Society, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
2. Corporate Social Responsibility Program Leader, Australian Gas Light Company Ltd, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

AGL, a top 40-listed ASX Company, serves approximately 3 million customers and 3,500 employees nationally. Established in 1837 it is one of Australia oldest corporate ‘citizens‘ delivering core energy requirements that serve basic needs enabling other pursuits of human endeavour.

AGL recognises success is dependent on the health and well being of communities in which they operate, and that remaining unengaged is unwise from both business and social development perspectives. Health of communities is determined by factors outside the traditional health system, and AGL contributes to community health through the ‘Energy for Life’ program. This initiative focuses on core service delivery, energy, to educate the public in efficient energy consumption, support shelters for homeless people to free up funds for other forms of support, takes advantage of economies of scale to assist in the purchase of energy efficient appliances, while providing positive experiences for staff and contributing to organisational learning.

This case study profiles the ‘warmth in winter’ and ‘energy matters’ initiatives under the Energy for life program that enable AGL to learn about the impact they have as an architect of human society. Case based learning has enhanced AGL’s awareness of interrelated disciplines, fostering wider thinking in terms of social and business solutions. This organisational learning occurs through case studies that explore how mature corporations express citizenry and relate to communities. This case study identifies the lessons learnt within AGL, mapping the growth and maturity of AGL as it moves beyond its first sustainability report in 2004.