ESG Transformation: Conversation Series

Lucy McCullagh, Alice Molan and Anna Coroneo return to “the wheel” to discuss Australia’s Sustainable Finance Strategy, recently released by Treasury and including a range of measures to underpin sustainable finance markets as the country transitions to net zero. They unpack the strategy’s three core pillars, being improved transparency through credible and accurate information, financial system c...

Olga Klimczak, Natalie Gaspar and Shiv Jhinku take the wheel to explore HSF’s latest Future of Work report. They unpack the key ESG related findings including cost of living, pay and benefit inequalities as a potential trigger for activism, as well as a significant rise in demand for workplace health and wellbeing support. With Australia on the cusp of profound legislative change, and a raft of ne...

Tim Stutt and Mel Debenham are joined by Silke Goldberg to debrief COP28 through the lens of four paradigm shifts – (1) climate finance, (2) fast tracking the energy transition and emissions reduction, (3) nature and people, and (4) the “just transition”. They close with reflections on the vital role of lawyers and the legal industry in bridging gaps and fostering agreement. For more, check out ou...

What is the proposed climate reporting regime and how will it align with existing frameworks?  Visit https://www.herbertsmithfreehills.com/latest-thinking/reporting-for-duties-%E2%80%93-esg-reporting-in-australia?utm_source=buzz-esg&utm_medium=podcast for more details.

Who will be caught by the incoming regime and how will it be phased in?  Visit https://www.herbertsmithfreehills.com/latest-thinking/reporting-for-duties-%E2%80%93-esg-reporting-in-australia?utm_source=buzz-esg&utm_medium=podcast for more details.

How can companies get comfortable with disclosing predicted company performance based on unsettled variables and uncertain transition trajectories? Visit https://www.herbertsmithfreehills.com/latest-thinking/reporting-for-duties-%E2%80%93-esg-reporting-in-australia?utm_source=buzz-esg&utm_medium=podcast for more details.

With mandatory climate reporting on the horizon, and global standards for comprehensive broader ESG reporting also emerging, is there a role for the ASX Corporate Governance Principles going forward?  Visit https://www.herbertsmithfreehills.com/latest-thinking/reporting-for-duties-%E2%80%93-esg-reporting-in-australia?utm_source=buzz-esg&utm_medium=podcast for more details.

How should governance structures support companies in meeting ESG obligations and aligning to frameworks? Visit https://www.herbertsmithfreehills.com/latest-thinking/reporting-for-duties-%E2%80%93-esg-reporting-in-australia?utm_source=buzz-esg&utm_medium=podcast for more details.

How should companies respond to the building pressure to disclose modern slavery incidents?  Visit https://www.herbertsmithfreehills.com/latest-thinking/reporting-for-duties-%E2%80%93-esg-reporting-in-australia?utm_source=buzz-esg&utm_medium=podcast for more details.

Kathryn Pacey, environment and planning partner is joined by Isabella Kelly, ESG senior associate and Jaya Prasad, solicitor in our energy and resources team to discuss the role of carbon and biodiversity offsets in meeting net zero and nature positive goals. They peel back the layers of government targets and regulatory reforms including the review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity C...

Tim Stutt and Aoife Xuereb are joined by Jacqueline Wootton and Olga Klimczak for a Talking Shop X The Third Wheel podcast collaboration episode. Following the statutory review of the Modern Slavery Act and its report being tabled in parliament, the Government is yet to confirm its position in relation to the reform recommendations, many of which seek to align with overseas regulatory trends for e...

Finance partners Andrew McLean, Jon Evans and Elizabeth Charlesworth take the wheel this episode to discuss the evolution of green and sustainability linked loans, from federal government funders and other agencies to increasing interest from commercial banks, institutional investors and private capital. They discuss the key issues across mining, energy and infrastructure sectors, along with recen...

In this episode, Tim Stutt speaks with partner Bryony Adams and senior associate Stephanie Crosbie for a discussion about financial crime and the governance and reputational risk exposures from regulatory non-compliance. The heat is on for boards, with the scale and penalties for money laundering being one of the fastest growing ESG areas. Our team unpack regulator expectations and what this means...

In celebration of International Women’s Day, partners Nerida Jessup and Natalie Gaspar from our employment, IR and safety practice speak with Jaclyn Booton, Executive Director of the Stella Prize, a major literary award celebrating Australian women’s writing. They reflect on 10 years of Stella and its significant influence on a more vibrant and equitable literary culture. An approach of “You lead,...

In this episode, Mel Debenham and Isabella Kelly invite Mark Smyth, disputes partner to join our series exploring the themes from HSF’s report on Unlocking ESG Investment in Australia. With 58% of our report’s survey respondents, comprising more than 100 business leaders, seeing barriers to greater levels of ESG investment including legal, tax and tenure of investment, Mark expands on the difficul...

In this episode, Tim Stutt and Mel Debenham are joined by Kathryn Pacey, environment and planning partner to discuss HSF’s report on Unlocking ESG Investment in Australia, and the long road for businesses assessing their supply chain and how to balance immediate pressures with long term ambition. 60% of our report’s survey respondents, comprising more than 100 business leaders, say their company h...

In this episode, Tim Stutt and Mel Debenham are joined by Jacqui Wootton, disputes partner and co-head of HSF’s Australian corporate crime and investigations practice. In our second episode unpacking HSF’s report on Unlocking ESG Investment in Australia, we are firmly focussed on the “S”, a key issue emerging from our survey of more than 100 business leaders on accelerating investment in ESG outco...

Tim Stutt and Kathryn Pacey are joined by Dr Chris Greig, Princeton University to discuss the energy transition, industry decarbonisation, technology and investment. Dr Greig shares the origin story and highlights of Net-Zero America, the research project that not only quantifies but visually displays five distinct technological pathways, using known technologies, by which the United States could...

In this episode, our Employment, Industrial Relations and Safety team take the wheel again, with Nerida Jessup hosting special guests Anna Creegan and Lucy Boyd. Nerida, Anna and Lucy have a conversation around how organisations are responding to the increased community and shareholder expectations on transparency around sexual harassment and other workplace conduct issues. Together they look at t...

Melanie Debenham is joined by Anél Joubert, ESG Manager and Jeremy McManus, GM Commercial and Investor Relations from Neometals, an emerging and sustainable producer of battery minerals. Anél and Jeremy discuss the prominence of ESG in their own roles and across Neometals’ markets and operations in Australia and Europe. They discuss the global and local transition to clean energy and energy storag...

Melanie Debenham and Tim Stutt are joined by Kathryn Pacey to break down an historic election where climate change featured prominently. The first six weeks of a new government have provided much to discuss including the Climate Change Bill to be introduced in the first week of parliament, a review to ensure the integrity of the carbon credit system (and similarly the Safeguard Mechanism), a $20 b...

In this episode, our Employment, Industrial Relations and Safety team take the wheel, with Nerida Jessup and Drew Pearson hosting special guest, Professor Brock Bastian, School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne. They build upon an earlier episode (#14) and the concept that good work is good for people, by delving into some of the strategies that give people the capacity to respond...

In this episode, Mel Debenham and Tim Stutt are back at the wheel to launch HSF’s report on Unlocking ESG Investment in Australia. The report unpacks the findings from our survey of more than 100 business leaders on the size and shape of the ESG investment challenges and opportunities. With the help of expert interviews across industry, the report explored the uncertainty about risk, returns and r...

Following the publication of our 8th consecutive annual Corporate Debt Report with the Association of Corporate Treasurers, Stacey Pang, Senior Associate and Minolee Shah, Professional Support Consultant talk to Emily Barry, Professional Support Consultant about some of the themes relating to sustainable finance that came out of that report, and where the ESG finance market might go next. 

In this episode, our Employment, Industrial Relations and Safety team take the wheel, with Olga Klimczak and Nerida Jessup hosting special guest, David Burroughs, Chief Mental Health Officer at Westpac. It’s an important, and lively, discussion on how organisations are shaping work and workplace culture so that our jobs are ‘good’ for our mental health. David speaks candidly about the issues corpo...