News & Views

Henry Ford said that you could have any colour Model T-Ford as long as it was black. Fast forward from 1908 into today's hydrogen debate and it seems you can have blue, green grey or pink. So what's the difference?

If you don't know, see the great article that explains it all from GreenBiz HERE 

The 'Say on Climate' initiative was launched in late 2020 with the aim of urging listed companies to create and execute Paris-aligned transition plans with annual shareholder votes providing increased accountability against those plans.

While an average of seventy-five percent of shareholders voted for these climate strategies, disappointingly opposition was nearly twenty-five percent which was higher than the global average of 9.6%.

See Investor Daily's analysis of this issue HERE.

The UN Global Compact Network Australia (UNGCA) will be releasing a series of short videos unpacking key modern slavery risks and topics for Australian businesses. See Professor Justine Nolan, from the UNSW Faculty of Law and Justice, talk about modern slavery and broader human rights due diligence and outline what business must do. See the video HERE. Also, register for a free Webinar on 23 March 'Modern Slavery - 4 Years On' from Informed365 which also features Professor Nolan HERE.

To assist in consumer understanding of terms like “carbon neutral” and “net zero” claims in advertising, the UK Advertising Standards Authority ('ASA') have released guidelines to  simplify and standardise the definitions of such terms and for claims to be policed by an official body, such as government. While this is a UK based example, the same issues exist in Australia and we may well see this trend followed here. Read their release HERE.

New legislation will come into effect in 2024 that will require businesses with 100 staff or more to be transparent about gender pay gaps, and report that gap publicly with the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WEGA).

On average, women are earning 14.1 per cent less than men and it is hoped that the new legislation will make it easier for organisations to report and bring us closer to pay equity for women. See more about this in an article from HR Leader HERE.

Kimberley Randle, CEO and co-founder of Fair Supply, will be speaking at a Webinar on February 21 which will explore the future of Modern Slavery Reporting in Australia. A review of the Modern Slavery Act and it's components and compliance has recently been undertaken, and in this webinar Kim will examine the expected outcomes of the review and how we should prepare for the future of modern slavery reporting. CLICK HERE to register for the webinar.

Aaron Goonrey, Partner from AusLSA Executive member Lander & Rogers, recently spoke to HR Leader about what an inclusive workplace should look like. Aaron said that key points included diversity at all levels across the organisation, and creating an environment where all employees felt valued, heard and understood.

See the article HERE, which includes a link to Aaron's podcast on the same subject.

The Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC) recently released a report, Broken Promises, covering two years reporting under Australia's Modern Slavery Act. It shows that many organisations still have work to do to make sure their reporting is up to standard.

See the article from Lawyers Weekly HERE and be sure to see our blog about the upcoming modern slavery seminar which will provide more information, HERE.

Victoria's Attorney-General says the establishment of a new legal services panel in Victoria will provide more opportunities for female barristers and advance gender equality. Private law firms can now be appointed to the legal services panel for a fixed term and must provide at least fifty percent of briefs to female barristers, as well as provide reports to the panel on their diversity and gender pay gaps.            See the Lawyers Weekly article HERE.

The World Economic Forum 2023 Global Risks Report indicates that of the top 10 global risks in the next two years, 50% can be attributed to the environment. The risk outlook for the next 10 years attributes 60% of risk to the environment.

The report is quite in depth but worthy of an overview and is available HERE. You can also use this link to navigate through the key findings of the report.