Editor's Choice
Blackstone raises $12bn for fifth energy transition fund
Blackstone has closed the fifth Blackstone Energy Transition Partners fund at $12 billion (US$8.7bn), more than 50% larger than its predecessor vehicle.
Gas transition to take 'decades rather than years': UniSuper
UniSuper chief investment officer John Pearce said as the pace of decarbonisation moderates, natural gas is increasingly recognised as an important component of the global energy mix.
Podcast: Urgent calls for deforestation-free lending
What role do Australian banks play in deforestation, and how can financial institutions better manage nature-related risks within their lending portfolios?
Anti-slavery commissioner calls for smarter due diligence for SMEs
Australian anti-slavery commissioner has proposed to cut out repetitive questionnaires for more targeted modern slavery checks for SMEs.
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Whitepapers
Modern slavery in the geopolitical crossfire
When investors frame the conversation about the risks of modern slavery, we tend to cite a common set of facts and a common set of arguments as to why ...
What ACCR v Santos means for your climate disclosures
The Federal Court has dismissed greenwashing claims brought by the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR) against Santos.
Materiality is not a single judgment: It is a governance system
Much has been written about sustainability materiality in recent years. The more fundamental problem is that materiality is still treated as a single ...
Roundtable reflections: Is ESG dead?
"Is ESG dead?" we asked at our recent Responsible Investors (RI) roundtable in May this year. Short answer: no.
Expert Feed
Navigating the climate and biodiversity frontier
Climate change and biodiversity loss were once seen as niche sustainability concerns. Today they sit at the centre of financial analysis - understanding ...
Embracing complexity for sustainable returns
Ausbil says investors who embrace the complexity of dynamic company ESG, and sustainability profiles may be better placed to assess long-term risks and ...
Australia's social media age ban: A digital turning point for society and investment markets
In a global first and a warning shot for platforms, at the end of 2025 Australia became the first country to ban under-16s from social media, with penalties ...
How economics and energy security are driving the next phase of the energy transition
Looking ahead, the next phase of the energy transition will be defined by practical system build-out rather than headline climate commitments.
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Financial Standard
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G4 reporting - make it mandatory
The new G4 Sustaiability Reporting guidelines sound promising. "Better targeted, more concise and more powerful reports."
I am hopeful that this will translate into a greater willingness to participate by Australian (an indeed international) companies.
With mostly depressing news elsewhere about how humans are continuing to trash the planet it is time that we started lobbying the ASX and ASIC to make reporting compulsory.
There is significant evidence that reponsible companies enjoy a greater level of staff retention and that employees feel more motivated to contribute to an organisation that cares about the planet.
The rsultant improved productivity feeds into the bottom line of companies and as observed in many sectors sustainability leaders are well placed to become sector leaders.
I am hopeful that stakeholders (including shareholders) can or will focus on the economic and environmental sustainability of companies they support as the climate change and biodiversity threats continue to grow.
Making G4 reporting mandatory for all listed companies would feed back into government policy and break the nexus between big business lobbyists and government.
Is there support for this?