BHP Steel Appoint Share Reg

BHP Billiton Limited
10 April 2002


     BHP Billiton Limited is issuing this announcement to fulfil disclosure
  obligations arising from its secondary listing on the London Stock Exchange.

    The text of this release is identical to that issued by BHP Billiton Plc
                                    earlier.



10 April 2002

BHP Steel Release Number: 07/02



ASX Perpetual Appointed to Manage BHP Steel Share Registry



BHP Steel Limited today announced the appointment of ASX Perpetual to manage its
share registry following its demerger from BHP Billiton and public listing.  ASX
Perpetual has also been appointed to administer the upcoming demerger and will
help manage the distribution and processing of key demerger documents to BHP
Billiton Limited shareholders.



BHP Steel is expected to be Australia's largest publicly listed manufacturer and
a major Australian exporter, with a widely held and diverse share register
containing a blend of institutional and retail investors.



Commenting on the appointment, BHP Steel President & CEO Kirby Adams said: 'We
are delighted to welcome ASX Perpetual as our partner for the de-merger and
subsequent public listing of BHP Steel.'



'Based on their proven track record and established credentials, we are
confident that ASX Perpetual will provide excellent service to BHP Steel and its
shareholders, and prove to be a reliable strategic partner.



'We look forward to welcoming BHP Billiton shareholders to BHP Steel's share
register, as well as many new shareholders, as we continue to build our company
to be the region's leading steel solutions provider,' Mr Adams said.



BHP Steel's de-merger from BHP Billiton remains on schedule for the middle of
this calendar year, subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals.



BHP Steel is Australasia's largest producer of raw and semi-finished flat steel
products and a leader in coated and painted steel products.  The Company's main
customers are in the building and construction, packaging, automotive,
manufacturing and resources industries.  Its premium brands are outright market
leaders in Australia and New Zealand and have a strong presence in Asia.  They
include COLORBOND(R) pre-painted steel, ZINCALUME(R) zinc/aluminium coated steel
and LYSAGHT(R).



The Company operates steelworks in Australia and New Zealand, and has a 50 per
cent interest in the North Star BHP Steel joint venture in Ohio, USA.  BHP Steel
has a network of rolling, coating and painting steel manufacturing plants, and
in-market processing and building products centres throughout Australia, New
Zealand, Asia and the Pacific Islands.  For further information about BHP Steel
go to: www.bhpsteel.com.au


  Contact:

  May Goh                                     Michael Buzzard

  Corporate Affairs                           Media Relations
  BHP Steel                                   BHP Billiton

  Tel: [phone]                        Tel: [phone]

  Mob: [phone]                     mob: [phone]




BHP Billiton Limited ABN 49 004 028 077        BHP Billiton Plc Registration number 3196209
Registered in Australia                        Registered in England and Wales
Registered Office: 600 Bourke Street Melbourne Registered Office: 1-3 Strand London WC2N 5HA 
Victoria 3000                                  United Kingdom 
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              The BHP Billiton Group is headquartered in Australia



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