Australian Update - Resistance to Australian Securities Exchange Corporate Governance Council’s Diversity Reforms Signals Decline in Environment, Social and Governance Commitment - The recent decision by the Australian...more
4/15/2025
/ Australia ,
Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
European Commission ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Greenwashing ,
Paris Agreement ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Renewable Energy ,
Sustainability
Australian Update - ASIC's Key Issues Outlook for 2025 - On 24 January 2025, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) released its key issues outlook for 2025 which provides insights for Australian...more
3/26/2025
/ ASIC ,
Australia ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenwashing ,
Investment ,
Manufacturers ,
Popular ,
Renewable Energy ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
Australian - Update Mandatory Climate-Related Financial Disclosures Come Into Effect - The first phase of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Financial Market Infrastructure and Other Measures) Bill 2024 (Cth) (Bill) commenced on...more
2/24/2025
/ ASIC ,
Australia ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Markets ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Modern Slavery Act ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability
Australian Update - Australia Commits AU$75 million to Singapore's FAST-P Clean Energy Transition Initiative - On 3 December 2024, the Australian Government approved an AU$75 million equity investment in the Singapore...more
12/27/2024
/ Australia ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Cyber Threats ,
Cybersecurity ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Green Finance ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Singapore ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Tax Credits
Introduction - When directors and officers of reporting entities are assessing how to prepare for complying with the new sustainability reporting obligations, it is tempting to look to the Australian Securities and...more
12/19/2024
/ ASIC ,
Asset Management ,
Australia ,
Compliance ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenwashing ,
Misleading Statements ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
Australian Update - Appointment of the Inaugural Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioner - On 11 November 2023, the Attorney-General announced the appointment of Chris Evans as the inaugural Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioner...more
12/16/2024
/ Annual Reports ,
Anti-Slavery Commissioner ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
ASIC ,
Australia ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Licensees ,
Popular ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Sustainable Finance
On 25 September 2024, the Federal Court ordered a large superannuation trustee (Trustee) to pay the highest penalty imposed for greenwashing conduct yet–AU$12.9 million. This comes off the back of the Federal Court in early...more
Australian Update - Climate-Related Disclosures Legislation Passed - The Treasury Laws Amendment (Financial Market Infrastructure and Other Measures) Bill 2024 (Cth) passed Parliament on 9 September 2024 and received Royal...more
10/4/2024
/ ASIC ,
Australia ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Greenwashing ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Finance
Australian Update - Guide to Sustainable Collaborations – ACCC - On 8 July 2024, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) published a draft guide on Sustainability collaborations and Australian competition law...more
On 22 August 2024, the Senate passed the Treasury Laws Amendment (Financial Market Infrastructure and Other Measures) Bill 2024 (the Bill), which requires certain organisations to make mandatory climate-related financial...more
Mining companies are one step closer to being subject to the changes of the first comprehensive review of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (the JORC Code or the...more
Australian Update - Proposed Code of Practice to Reduce Modern Slavery Through Lending, Investment and Asset Management - The New South Wales (NSW) Anti-Slavery Commissioner (Commissioner) recently released its discussion...more
8/20/2024
/ Agribusiness ,
Anti-Slavery Commissioner ,
ASIC ,
Australia ,
Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Forced Labor ,
Greenwashing ,
Investors ,
Popular ,
Sustainable Finance
Australian Update - Australia and EU Enter Into Critical and Strategic Minerals Partnership - On 28 May 2024, Australia and the European Union (EU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a bilateral partnership to...more
7/5/2024
/ Amended Regulation ,
Australia ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Greenwashing ,
Minerals ,
Natural Gas ,
Natural Resources ,
Oil & Gas ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Sustainable Finance
Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” was one of the highest grossing music tours of all time with approximate proceeds exceeding US$1 billion. While this is a monumental feat, Taylor Swift also gained negative attention during the tour...more
6/26/2024
/ ASIC ,
Australia ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Carbon Off-Set Credits ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Net Zero ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
AUSTRALIAN UPDATE - Updated Bill to Introduce Climate-Related Financial Reporting Regime - Background - The Australian Government released the first reading draft of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Financial Market...more
5/29/2024
/ ASIC ,
Australia ,
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Projects ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Greenwashing ,
Investors ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Finance
Australian Update - Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Enforcement Priorities for 2024-2025 - The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced its enforcement and compliance priorities for...more
4/26/2024
/ ASIC ,
Australia ,
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) ,
Climate Change ,
Competition ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Green Bonds ,
Greenwashing ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Small Business ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Finance
Overview - The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) Corporate Governance Council (Council) has recently released its consultation materials for the proposed 5th Edition of the Corporate Governance Council Principles and...more
4/18/2024
/ Annual Reports ,
Australia ,
Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) ,
CEOs ,
CFOs ,
Code of Conduct ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Proposed Amendments
Australian Update - Australian Securities and Investments Commission Continues Greenwashing Enforcement Efforts - On 28 February 2024, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) reported that an outsourced...more
4/2/2024
/ ASIC ,
Australia ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Greenwashing ,
Investment ,
Minerals ,
Misleading Statements ,
Natural Resources ,
Popular ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability
Australian Update - Draft Legislation – Climate-Related Financial Disclosures The Australian Government has released Treasury Laws Amendment Bill 2024: Climate-related financial disclosure, which is draft legislation...more
3/1/2024
/ Anti-Slavery Commissioner ,
ASIC ,
Audits ,
Australia ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Popular ,
Sustainability
Introduction - Over 400 New South Wales (NSW) government entities, including government agencies, state owned corporations, and councils (collectively, Covered Entities) are required to conduct modern slavery due diligence...more
Overview - Background - The Australian Government recently released an exposure draft of the legislation to implement mandatory climate-related financial disclosures (Draft Legislation). This follows the release of draft...more
2/20/2024
/ Australia ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Due Diligence ,
Duty of Care ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Sustainability
Australian Update - ASIC to Focus on Net Zero Statements and Targets - On 21-22 November 2023, the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) hosted the ASIC Annual Forum, outlining: The progress and outcomes ASIC...more
12/27/2023
/ ASIC ,
Australia ,
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Greenwashing ,
Popular ,
Sustainable Finance
Australian Update - Draft Reporting Standards for Australian Climate-Related Disclosures - As previously reported by K&L Gates, the Australian Accounting Standards Board released its exposure draft of the Australian...more
11/27/2023
/ Australia ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Green Bonds ,
Hydrogen Power ,
Investment ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Renewable Energy ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Finance
Australian Update - Warnings Issued About Active Investment Greenwashing As reported by the Australian Financial Review, Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has warned that superannuation funds who justify...more
Companies will often make representations about modern slavery as part of their environmental, social and governance (ESG) measures. In this article, we consider whether potentially false or misleading claims about modern...more