Social

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 ...

AMP Capital assesses progress, risks in Bangladesh factories

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  WEDNESDAY, 18 JUN 2014  |  NEWS
Although work is underway in Bangladesh to improve the fire and building safety of factories in an attempt to prevent further tragedies such as 2012's Rana Plaza factory collapse, Australian retailers that source apparel from Bangladeshi suppliers are ...

CFI a source of economic opportunity for Indigenous groups

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 13 JUN 2014  |  NEWS
The Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) has offered opportunities for income generation for carbon abatement and sequestration activities for a number of entities, including Indigenous groups. One of the earliest methodologies approved under the CFI certified ...

Co-ops, mutuals a "third way" for public service provision

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 13 JUN 2014  |  NEWS
Co-operatives and mutuals offer an alternative "third way" to complement for-profit and not-for-profit business models for delivery of public services, according to a green paper aiming to stimulate discussion on how the sector can provide innovative ...

Foresters Community Finance, InterFinancial to partner

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 6 JUN 2014  |  NEWS
Foresters Community Finance has sold shares in its funds management subsidiary to mid-market corporate advisory firm InterFinancial Corporate Finance as part of a strategic partnership between the two companies.

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 ...

KPMG finds companies invest $12.2bn in social programs

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 30 MAY 2014  |  NEWS
One hundred of the world's largest companies made investments in social programs valued at US$12.2 billion in 2013, but less than a third of those companies are reporting on the impact of those investments, according to a new global report by KPMG International.

Westpac reports progress on sustainability targets

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 30 MAY 2014  |  NEWS
Westpac has revealed progress on its sustainability strategy and is conducting a review of its environmental, social and governance (ESG) risk framework, a biennial process that is considered a "refresh", said Siobhan Toohill, head of group sustainability ...

LUCRF selects Northern Trust for ESG-screened mandate

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  WEDNESDAY, 28 MAY 2014  |  NEWS
Labour Union Co-operative Retirement Fund (LUCRF) has appointed Northern Trust Asset Management's international business to manage an AU$220 million global equity index mandate that incorporates the fund's environmental, social and governance (ESG) screens.

Net Balance, Gold Standard report on co-benefits value

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 23 MAY 2014  |  NEWS
Robustly designed climate mitigation projects can deliver environmental, social and economic benefits resulting in greater financial impact than previously calculated, according to a study from The Gold Standard.