be working in business operations with a lean and efficient corporate and services group. With the exception of a small number of project teams, all  non-award based positions  in the Company were declared vacant and a selection process commenced around a set of criteria designed to ensure that people with the right skills and the ability to successfully grow Santos were appointed.  As is often the case with transformational change initiatives, not everyone was  re-appointed and, as a result, the workforce was reduced by 9%. TRAINING AND DEVELOPING PEOPLE CULTURE CHANGE BANKSIA AWARDS GREENHOUSE POLICY WASTE MANAGEMENT Santos is investing in the future of Australia’s petroleum industry through the funding of the Australian School of Petroleum at the University of Adelaide. This long-term program is designed to ensure that the  way employees work together enhances Santos’ ability  to be successful.  One of the first tasks undertaken was a voluntary employee survey to identify the gaps between the existing culture and the desired culture. The outcomes of the survey will assist in the development of programs and activities that will better align work practices with Santos’ strategic goals. The need to develop a culture that supports the newly designed business processes was another  of the major outcomes of the change program. A Santos-wide culture change program led by employees is currently underway. Making sure training and development supports current  and future business requirements, and provides opportunities for people to develop their skills to achieve optimum performance,  are key aspects of Santos’ human resources strategy.  Santos has a number of long-term projects underway which will optimise the substantial investment the Company makes  in training people. Importantly, these projects will deliver programs that are targeted to meet business and individual needs and to support culture change initiatives. across Santos operations. The long-term environmental and financial benefits of using this technology are expected to be considerable. REDUCED OIL SPILLS Santos was selected in 2004  as a finalist in the Banksia Environmental Awards for the work undertaken in the Company- led initiative to protect the world-renowned Coongie Lakes, resulting in the area being declared a new National Park by the South Australian Government. As a finalist for this award Santos was recognised for its leadership role in bringing together a group of disparate parties to develop a Memorandum of Understanding recommending further protection for the Coongie Lakes. There was a substantial reduction in the volume of hydrocarbons released to the environment  in 2004, with uncontained hydrocarbons spilt reducing from 1,943 cubic metres to 83 cubic metres and Santos continues to focus on reducing oil spills. Santos released its Greenhouse Policy in 2004 to drive performance improvements in this area through reducing emissions and producing oil and gas more efficiently. Santos’ Greenhouse Policy is being rolled out across the organisation through cross- functional greenhouse gas teams that have the right skill sets and responsibilities to progress this initiative. These teams will manage Greenhouse Policy and regulation, carbon management and trading opportunities, and energy efficiency. A key internal driver for emissions reduction  will be the promotion of energy efficiency. Santos is committed to achieving effective emission reduction targets, to the pursuit of energy efficiency strategies and to the identification and implementation Santos trialled innovative waste management techniques during 2004 to reduce the volume of hydrocarbon waste generated from Cooper Basin operations. Preliminary results indicate that these waste volumes can be reduced to 3-5% of their original volume, which is a significant achievement.  This technology will be implemented where possible ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04 OIL SPILL VOLUMES m 3 0 500 1000 1500 2000 Lytton oil spill effect Annual Report 2004 27