MIC annual report (Jan 05) #3426_v4.qxd - Mallesons

Charitiesworking together to help othersUnder our Workplace Giving program, partners and staffcan donate money directly from their pay to up to 37charities, including our community partners. A taxdeduction benefit is automatically passed on to staff intheir pay. The charities then receive double the amountpledged as all staff donations are matched by Mallesons.Since the launch of the program in September 2002,we have contributed more than $550,000 each year tocharitable organisations in Australia and Asia. In September2004, on its second anniversary, we conducted a firmwidesurvey to get feedback on the program.The results of the survey identified that partners and staffwanted the Workplace Giving program to includefighting cancer, promoting animal welfare and copingwith mental illness as priority charitable areas.Consequently, we were delighted to add charities to ourWorkplace Giving Program including the following:• Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre - Research Division:Australia's largest, and one of the world's largestgroups dedicated to cancer research.• RSPCA: preventing cruelty to animals by activelypromoting their care and protection, and• SANE Australia: a charity helping people affected bymental illness.To celebrate adding these and other new charities intothe Workplace Giving program, we held profile raisingevents in all Australian offices throughout the year.These activities gave partners and staff the chance tolearn about the work of our new (and old) WorkplaceGiving charities. A few highlights are included here.• Two Weeks of Community Mindedness in Melbourneduring which a series of lunchtime presentations gavepartners and staff the opportunity to find out aboutour Workplace Giving charities.• Mallesons Community Fair in Sydney saw daringpartners and staff shaving and colouring their hair aspart of the Leukaemia Foundation's Shave for a Cure.• Community Day at the Beach in Brisbane in honour ofnew charity, Queensland Surf Life Saving, where goodsport partners and staff wore their "boardies" toencourage new pledges.• RSPCA’s Million Paws Walk on Sunday 15 May,when partners and staff from the Brisbane, Canberra,Sydney and Perth offices (and their four leggedfriends) participated in the RSPCA's Million Paws Walkto raise money and awareness for the RSPCA. ThePerth team won both the floating trophies - one forhaving the largest corporate team and one for raisingthe most funds.Chris Taufatofua, Andrew Carter, Andrew O’Shea and Andrew Ryanfrom the Brisbane office wore their "boardies" to encouragepledges to its new charity, Surf Lifesaving Queensland.Jamie Prell from the Sydney office, shaved his hair as partof the Leukaemia Foundation's Shave for a Cure