National Responsible Business Practice Project concludes
Established in 1998, the national Business Leaders Forum has pioneered leadership and innovation for sustainable business in Australia. For the past twelve years St James Ethics centre has contributed to the Forum program and the Ethics centre’s Executive Director, Dr Simon Longstaff, is a member of its Steering committee. The Responsible Business Practice in Australia report is available at St James Ethics centre’s Hub of Responsible Business Practice in australia: thehub.ethics.org.au. St James Ethics Centre would like to take this opportunity to thank the australian Government for its investment through Treasury and its leadership in supporting voluntary responsible business practice in australia. The Ethics Centre also wishes to sincerely thank all of our stakeholders who have contributed to the achievements of the national Responsible Business Practice project.
This article was published in Living Ethics: issue 84 winter 2011
From May 2008 to June 2011 the australian Government through Treasury commissioned St James Ethics centre to undertake a national Responsible Business Practice project. The two major project goals were to increase the numbers of australian companies and small to medium enterprises actively engaged in responsible business practice and to improve and refine the tools available to support australian business in this endeavour.
The project has now successfully accomplished these goals as the final year of Australian Government funding drew to a close on 30 June, 2011.
Ethical and responsible business practice recognises the interconnectedness and interdependence of business, our communities, our environment and our marketplace. Responsible business practice advocates that the true costs and obligations of business and organisational activity be accounted for.
St James Ethics Centre has promoted corporate responsibility in Australia for the past decade. More recently, through the Responsible Business Practice Project, several significant milestones have been achieved including developing Australia’s first national register of Responsible Business Practice, the Good Business Register®, and establishing Australian Focal Points for both the Global Reporting Initiative in October 2008 and the United Nations Global Compact in February 2009.
The initial Responsible Business Practice Project funding of two million dollars was announced on 19 May, 2008 by the former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at the 9th National Business Leaders Forum on Sustainable Development at Parliament House in Canberra. The Government’s May 2010 budget later announced one further final year of Treasury funding for the project.
On Thursday 16 June, 2011 St James Ethics Centre launched the Responsible Business Practice in Australia report to the Australian Government at the 12th National Business Leaders Forum on Sustainable Development at Parliament House in Canberra. The report was presented by St James Ethics Centre’s Executive Director, Dr. Simon Longstaff, and welcomed by the Hon Bill Shorten MP, Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation. The report presents the key lessons learned from the project and identifies several responsible business and sustainability policy, leadership and practice priorities for consideration by the Australian Government.
St James Ethics Centre prepared the report following consultation and workshops with more than 50 representatives from its key project stakeholder groups drawn from Government, business, the investment community, the not-for-profit sector, professional service firms, civil society and academia.
In addition to the launch of the Responsible Business Practice in Australia report, the 12th National Business Leaders Forum on Sustainable Development provided a range of respected Australian and international speakers. This year the forum theme was Business Leadership in the New Global Innovation Economy: the race is on.
A special pre-recorded welcome message from His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, opened the forum.
As President of Business in the Community in the United Kingdom for more than twenty five years, I have long admired the leadership of Simon Longstaff and the work on responsible business practice that he has pioneered so brilliantly at St James Ethics Centre ...
I particularly want to thank those businesses who have been the leaders in this endeavour, and especially Molly Harriss-Olson, who has been such an energetic and inspiring convenor of the National Business Leaders Forum.
Guest speakers at the Forum Dinner included The Hon Julia Gillard MP, Prime Minister of Australia, who reinforced her Government’s commitment to a green economy.
The Hon Julia Gillard MP Prime Minister of Australia:
Your forum’s theme rightly reflects the urgency of sustainable innovation ... The Australian Government is committed to helping business take advantage of the opportunities created through new clean energy technologies and renewable energy sources. Australia is among the world’s major carbon emitters and we need to work together to successfully tackIe climate change ... I lead a Government that is determined to put a price on carbon.
Other highlights included the Hon Kevin Rudd MP, Minister for Foreign Affairs; Ernst Ligteringen, Chief Executive of the Global Reporting Initiative, who provided a compelling case for reporting; Kishor Chaukar, Managing Director, TATA Industries India; David Nieh, General Manager, Shui on Land for Knowledge Community Developments in China who presented an innovative plan for creating a sustainable future for China; leading thinking on how to transition to the ‘green economy’ from Simon Upton, Director, OECD Environment Directorate; and a joint keynote speech on the science of climate change from Professor Tim Flannery, Chair, Australian Climate Commission and Gerry Heuston, Member, Australian Climate Commission.
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