News & Views

New legislation will come into effect in 2024 that will require businesses with 100 staff or more to be transparent about gender pay gaps, and report that gap publicly with the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WEGA).

On average, women are earning 14.1 per cent less than men and it is hoped that the new legislation will make it easier for organisations to report and bring us closer to pay equity for women. See more about this in an article from HR Leader HERE.

Kimberley Randle, CEO and co-founder of Fair Supply, will be speaking at a Webinar on February 21 which will explore the future of Modern Slavery Reporting in Australia. A review of the Modern Slavery Act and it's components and compliance has recently been undertaken, and in this webinar Kim will examine the expected outcomes of the review and how we should prepare for the future of modern slavery reporting. CLICK HERE to register for the webinar.

Aaron Goonrey, Partner from AusLSA Executive member Lander & Rogers, recently spoke to HR Leader about what an inclusive workplace should look like. Aaron said that key points included diversity at all levels across the organisation, and creating an environment where all employees felt valued, heard and understood.

See the article HERE, which includes a link to Aaron's podcast on the same subject.

The Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC) recently released a report, Broken Promises, covering two years reporting under Australia's Modern Slavery Act. It shows that many organisations still have work to do to make sure their reporting is up to standard.

See the article from Lawyers Weekly HERE and be sure to see our blog about the upcoming modern slavery seminar which will provide more information, HERE.

Victoria's Attorney-General says the establishment of a new legal services panel in Victoria will provide more opportunities for female barristers and advance gender equality. Private law firms can now be appointed to the legal services panel for a fixed term and must provide at least fifty percent of briefs to female barristers, as well as provide reports to the panel on their diversity and gender pay gaps.            See the Lawyers Weekly article HERE.

The World Economic Forum 2023 Global Risks Report indicates that of the top 10 global risks in the next two years, 50% can be attributed to the environment. The risk outlook for the next 10 years attributes 60% of risk to the environment.

The report is quite in depth but worthy of an overview and is available HERE. You can also use this link to navigate through the key findings of the report.

The climate change bill introduced in September 2022 places the onus on governments to make meaningful changes. However the legislation will have impacts for many legal sectors including energy, environment and corporate advisory. For law firms climate law will be important considerations not only for internal day-to-day work but for client related work for new projects, disclosures, regulatory changes and a raft of other issues. See a great summary of how it will affect lawyers and the roles they can play in the Lawyers Weekly Summer digital magazine HERE.

Dr Michelle McQuaid, co-founder of the Wellbeing Lab, recently told HR Leader that having a 'Wellbeing Champion' in your organisation, who can advocate and assist with mental-health first aid, can complement your Wellbeing strategy. Someone who "simply cares strongly about themselves and others" can help inform your policies and procedures and "be there" if anyone needs help. 

See the HR Leader article HERE with a link to Dr McQuaid's podcast.

COP15 resulted in delegates approving a deal to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2023. Carbon and Biodiversity, however are linked and while some carbon projects claim they benefit biodiversity, further work is needed to quantify this benefit.

See an article from GreenBiz about how Carbon and Biodiversity is linked HERE

Not that law firms are likely to advertise products using environmentally friendly buzzwords, but plenty of manufacturers do, and consumers as well as those manufacturers need to be aware of intended or unintended deception.
GreenBiz give a list of greenwashing terms that we should try to avoid, or at least are worthy of further investigation!. Their article is HERE.