The health and safety of our people is our first priority. After no fatalities in the 2014 financial year, we tragically lost five colleagues this year. It is our ongoing goal to have a workplace free from fatalities and serious injury and we have implemented a company-wide program to improve performance.
Underlying EBITDA(1) of US$21.9 billion and an Underlying EBITDA margin(2) of 50% for the 2015 financial year demonstrate the quality of our portfolio and its resilience in challenging markets. Underlying EBIT(1) declined by 46% to US$11.9 billion.
Our focus on best-in-class performance delivered productivity gains of US$4.1 billion(3), two years ahead of target. We expect further cost reductions in the 2016 financial year across all businesses.
Capital and exploration expenditure(4) decreased by 24% to US$11.0 billion in the period and is expected to decline to US$8.5 billion in the 2016 financial year and US$7.0 billion in the 2017 financial year.
Improved operating and capital productivity combined with the flexibility of our investment program supported free cash flow(2) of US$6.3 billion.
We maintained our solid A credit rating(5) and finished the period with net debt(2) of US$24.4 billion, a decline of US$1.4 billion.
Our commitment to the progressive dividend is unchanged. Our full-year dividend increased by 2% to 124 US cents per share.
