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Australians contributing to GRI globally
GRI Board of Directors
The GRI's 16 member Board of Directors has the ultimate fiduciary, financial and legal responsibility for the GRI, including final decision making authority on GRI Guidelines revisions, organizational strategy, and work plans.
Dr Simon Longstaff
Within the GRI board of Directors Australia is represented by Dr Simon Longstaff. Dr Longstaff is a philosopher whose focus is in the field of applied ethics encompassing the wider community beyond academe. He has been Executive Director of St James Ethics Centre since 1991. Established in 1989, the Centre is an independent not-for-profit organisation which provides a non-judgemental forum for the promotion and exploration of ethics.
One of the Executive Director's roles is to encourage the process of integrating ethical considerations into the strategic thinking of the management community. More generally, Simon encourages and contributes to the active discussion of ethical issues amongst the widest possible audience.
Simon has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and won scholarships to study at Cambridge, where he read for the degrees of Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy.
Stakeholder Council
The Stakeholder Council (SC) is GRI’s formal stakeholder policy forum, similar to a parliament, that debates and deliberates key strategic and policy issues. The SC meets annually and comprises a balance of stakeholder and geographic constituencies. Please refer to the global GRI website for more information on the SC’s key governance functions and individual SC member’s responsibilities.
Currently, there are four Australians representing Oceania on the GRI Stakeholder Council including:
- Robyn Leeson, Director, Net Balance Foundation
- Caroline Noller, Head, Corporate Responsibility, The GPT Group
- Julian Poulter, Executive Director, The Global Asset Owners Disclosure Project & The Climate Institute
- Stella Whittaker, Principal Sustainability and Climate Change Advisor, Manidis Roberts
Technical Advisory Committee
The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) provides high-level technical advice and expertise to the Board of Directors specifically and to the GRI network as a whole.
The members were each selected for their demonstrated technical expertise in an area linked to reporting and disclosure. For more information on the Technical Advisory Committee and member’s key functions please refer to the global GRI website.
Australia is currently represented in the Technical Advisory Committee by
Mr. Michael Nugent from the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) Australia.
The Governmental Advisory Group, established in 2008, is a high-level advisory group whose function is to provide the GRI Board and the GRI Executive team with a direct source of advice from governments. In addition, the Group functions as a platform to exchange ideas and experiences between the members themselves. It is an informal body that has no constitutional role within GRI, thereby preserving GRI’s independence. Governmental Advisory Group meetings are held twice a year.
The current Australia representative on the Governmental Advisory Group is:
Kerstin Wijeyewardene, Minister-Counsellor (Economic), Australian Treasury, Australia
Sustainability Reporting Framework Projects
GRI’s Reporting Framework is developed through a process of systematic, consensus-seeking dialogue with a large network of individuals from over 60 countries, representing stakeholder groups including business, civil society, academia, labour and other professional institutions. The process is open, inclusive and takes a global perspective on the growing understanding of good reporting on key sustainability issues.
The Framework is continuously improved and expanded as knowledge of sustainability issues evolves and the needs of report makers and users change.
For more information on the process of continuously improving GRI’s reporting framework, visit the GRI website.
Australian representatives on current Working Groups include:
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Company |
Working Groups |
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Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
Media Sector Supplement |
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Landcom |
Construction & Real Estate Sector Supplement |
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Lend Lease |
Construction & Real Estate Sector Supplement |
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La Trobe University
|
Gender Technical Supplement |
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Live Earth |
Event Organizers Sector Supplement |
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Oil & Gas Sector Supplement |
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Construction & Real Estate Sector Supplement |
Previous contributions to finalised supplements also include:
|
Company |
Working Groups |
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BHP Billiton |
Mining & Metals Sector Supplement |
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Insurance Australia Group |
Financial Services Sector Supplement |
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National Australia Bank |
Financial Services Sector Supplement |
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Nestlé |
Food Processing Sector Supplement |
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Public Interest Advocacy Centre |
Electric Utility Sector Supplement |
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Mining & Metals Sector Supplement |
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Telstra Technologies |
Telecommunications Sector Supplement Pilot |
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VicSuper Pty Ltd |
Financial Services Sector Supplement |
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Westpac Banking Corporation |
Financial Services Sector Supplement |
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Wilderness Society |
Financial Services Sector Supplement |
To find out more about Sector Supplements and the development process please click here.