Policy & Regulation

Australian Treasury consultation paper on proposed plans to streamline Australiaís financial reporting architecture.

Second public consultation on the Australian Sustainable Finance Taxonomy by the Australian Sustainable Finance Institute (ASFI). Focus on critera for the remaining three priority sectors: 1) manufacturing and industry, 2) transport, 3) agriculture and land use; Do No Significant Harm (DNSH) framework; and Minimum Social Safeguards (MSS) framework.

Second public consultation on the Australian Sustainable Finance Taxonomy by the Australian Sustainable Finance Institute (ASFI), focusing on the draft headline ambitions for the taxonomy’s environmental objectives, and the criteria for the first three priority sectors: 1) electricity generation and supply, 2) minerals, mining and metals, and 3) construction and the built environment.

The Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) warmly welcomes the Australian Government’s Sustainable Finance Roadmap, which Treasurer Jim Chalmers has released today. RIAA has been calling for a national sustainable finance strategy for some years – this will enable Government agencies and the finance sector to successfully work together to deliver Australia’s urgent priorities, such as tackling climate change in line with the Paris Agreement and progressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The Roadmap brings together key pieces of the puzzle to shift capital towards sustainable practices, with a strong focus on climate change. A coordinated approach should line up Government agencies to leverage finance in areas such as climate change, energy, agriculture, nature, regional development, infrastructure and regulation. The Sustainable Finance Agenda provides clarity and direction in key areas for capital markets, and will help Government better leverage private capital to support critical Australian Government priorities.

Imagine: You’re a portfolio manager for a 30-stock portfolio within the Weak Governance Exchange (WGX). One of your investments is in bottled water company, Water Power. The business model is simple: selling bottled water. What is different about this business is that half of their costs come from having the most influential Government Affairs team across the whole index. While the team operates within the realms of what is lawful, their only incentive is to increase the company’s quarterly earnings.

Financial Markets Authority (FMA) proposal to provide a class exemption for certain green, social, sustainability, and sustainability-linked (GSSS) bonds, acknowledging the increasing consumer and retail investor interest in responsible investing, as well as the role that the debt market can play in the transition.

Broad review of the framework and design of an Annual Superannuation Performance Test.

Financial Markets Authority (FMA) provided insights into its approach to regulation and focus on demonstrating good conduct, with 7 proposed outcomes.