Governance

Governance Institute of Australia questions shareholder primacy

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 24 OCT 2014  |  NEWS
It is time to re-examine the principle that shareholder interests are paramount in business decision-making, according to a new paper by Governance Institute of Australia.

Corporate governance: moving to "owner relations" model

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 3 OCT 2014  |  NEWS
As institutional investors and boards of listed companies increase their frequency and depth of communication around environmental, social and corporate governance governance issues, there has been an evolution on the part of some companies in the understanding ...

ACSI: CEO pay, termination pay drop for FY13

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 19 SEP 2014  |  NEWS
The average total statutory pay package of ASX200 CEOs was AU$4.84 million in 2013, which is 63 times average earnings, a 33% drop below the 2007 peak of 94 times average earnings, according to the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI).

AMP Capital reviews corporate governance activities

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 12 SEP 2014  |  NEWS
Governance practices have evolved differently around the world, and as a result, AMP Capital has developed a nuanced, case-by-case approach to proxy voting and engaging with companies in varying markets.

Diversity Council Australia measures the bamboo ceiling

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 15 AUG 2014  |  NEWS
People of Asian backgrounds are under-represented in leadership positions at Australian companies, with only 1.9% of ASX200 executives having Asian cultural origins, compared to 9.6% of the Australian population, according to research from Diversity ...

Mercer research surveys governance at superannuation funds

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  WEDNESDAY, 23 JUL 2014  |  NEWS
More than half of superannuation funds participating in a recent Mercer survey have reported that they do not currently have independent directors on their trustee boards.

Addressing the human crisis of climate change displacement

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 4 JUL 2014  |  NEWS
Climate change is expected to cause mass human displacement, but that displacement can be prevented and repaired if government policies are put in place to focus on ensuring affected people have access to land, according to a new book edited by climate ...

ACSI: companies paid premium for rights issue underwriting

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  WEDNESDAY, 25 JUN 2014  |  NEWS
Companies paid a premium of more than AU$170 million for underwriting of rights issues between 2010 and 2012, according to research conducted by the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI).

Push to focus on tax reform, transparency as part of G20

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 6 JUN 2014  |  NEWS
Tax and transparency reforms should be a priority for Australia in its presidency of the G20 because there is a strong link between base erosion and profit sharing (BEPS) and the G20's objective to promote development, according to Oxfam Australia and ...

ASIC guide widens scope of risk, future prospect disclosure

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 23 MAY 2014  |  NEWS
A regulatory guide released by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has extended recommendations of how directors should disclose risks and future prospects of a listed company, opening further opportunities for transparency around ...