News & Views

Volunteering Australia has a large range of volunteer roles including one off, short term and long term opportunities and many volunteer involving organisations can be flexible with times. They also make it easy for you to find a volunteer role that suits your interests, motivation, availability and location. See their online tool 'GoVolunteer', which provides opportunities across a range of volunteering activities.

In a move towards carbon-neutrality by 2050, the EU have reached a deal on the world’s first major carbon border tax. The deal, while still to be approved and to be implemented in 2026, adds a pollution price on certain imports to the European Union and dissuades EU companies from moving production to more tolerant countries, something that EU lawmakers refer to as “carbon leakage.”

See a report from CNN HERE.

The 2022 UN (Cop 15) Biodiversity Conference in Montreal has closed, reaching an agreement which is a significant breakthrough for biodiversity. The agreement reflects never-before-seen recognition from countries at all income levels that biodiversity loss must be stopped through high-ambition changes to our society’s relationship with nature and the way our global economy operates. It creates momentum toward "30 by 30" - aspiring to protect 30 percent of land and marine spaces by 2030. See the UN Website HERE and their statement HERE

The wash-up of COP27 found that while developing countries may have achieved some major breakthroughs, the talks were left wanting stronger emissions reductions and fossil fuel phase-out.

In an EY sponsored summary in 'Economist Impact', five key take-aways from COP 27 are looked at in more detail.

Read the article HERE.

Evidence from the UK has indicated a rise in neck and back pain as a result of working flexibly in ill-configured environments. Employers need to ensure that flexible working arrangements provide those working from home with the right advice about ergonomics, heating and cooling, exercise and discipline. 

See some information from HRLeader HERE, which also has some links to Comcare and Safe Work Australia

The fourth edition of The Australian Pro Bono Manual was released in November 2022 and is now entirely on-line. This is a practice guide and resource kit for law firms and is the latest in a series that has been published over 20 years.

It is designed as a practical ‘how to’ guide for establishing and developing a law firm pro bono program and is primarily directed to firms that either do not have, or are in the process of establishing or developing, a pro bono program.

Go to the manual HERE

The UN Global Compact Network Australia (UNGCNA) has  partnered with Accenture to explore different approaches to the integration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within Australian businesses through the release of a new publication "Shining a Light on the SDGs: An Australian Business Approach".

This publication acknowledges how businesses play a key part in progressing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. A recording of the report launch event can be seen HERE.

At a meeting of the "UN Group of Friends" on Gender Parity,  Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said it was “vital for the United Nations to represent the values it stands for – the values enshrined in the Charter – and to lead by example. Gender parity in our personnel is the only way to achieve gender equality in our work.”

Those wishing to align their values to the Sustainable Development Goals should follow his examples - READ HERE

AusLSA member firm DLA Piper recently outlined their strategy for the firm for further growth in the Australian market.

Key to this strategy are environmental, social and government governance (ESG) issues in order to assist clients to transition to a more sustainable future.  They note that while the pandemic is fading, skills shortages are not and recruitment and retention are even more important than before. Read the Lawyers Weekly article HERE.

Hot off the press from COP27...Scope 3 makes up the majority of companies’ emissions. It is therefore essential that we tackle them in order to avoid global temperatures reaching catastrophic levels. Watch this presentation (select the slideshow called SCALING SCIENCE BASED DE..) to learn more about the challenges companies face with scope 3 today and the next steps the SBTi is taking to overcome them.