News & Views

A third of US businesses are losing employees, sales and investment opportunities by failing to adequately address the climate crisis, a new report has found. The survey found that 33% had reported losing business to competitors due to inadequate strategies and tangible actions to respond to the climate crisis. Businesses reported losing employees, sales and investments. READ MORE

Net Zero is not a passing trend. It's a crucial lever for driving ambitious climate action. But Net Zero can be complex and daunting if not explained in the right context with the right audience in mind. The Carbon Trust are a UK consultancy and are holding Webinar to explain Net Zero to Corporates in April and May 2022 The widespread adoption of Net Zero targets - from countries to companies - is part of a long-term shift to decarbonise economies in response to the climate emergency.REGISTER HERE

Some numbers have been run on the 2022 Federal budget on commitments to climate action. The deficit for 2022-23 is expected to be $78 billion, 3.4% of GDP. Just 0.3% of total expenditure (mostly previously announced) has been committed to climate change initiatives, falling lower, to just 0.2% in 2024-2026.  The $1.3 billion of new investment in the budget to "maintain energy security, keep downward pressure on energy prices while reducing emissions, is modest compared to the $5.6 billion on 6 months of fuel excise duty relief. The World Economic Forum estimates US$4-5 trillion is required annually to keep climate change at 1.5 degrees. If Australia invested its share based on GDP, this would translate to around AU$80-110 billion annually   READ MORE

The Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner recently surveyed Victorian lawyers to understand the impact of workplace culture on the wellbeing of lawyers. Notably, half of respondents reported that their workplace culture had a more positive than negative impact on their wellbeing and cited their workplace’s response to COVID-19 as one of the reasons for that response. The survey found that the factors that had the most positive impact on wellbeing were supportive colleagues, flexible work arrangements, reasonable work-life balance, supportive management and a culture that does not tolerate bullying or discrimination.

Conversely, the top factors negatively impacting wellbeing were unreasonable workloads, poor work-life balance, long work hours, hypercritical culture and lack of collegiality. READ MORE

During recent consultation with AusLSA members, the growth in Climate action ambition and the need to better information and resources was clear . AusLSA is commencing a series or member round tables to update members on the latest developments and provide information on the drivers, opportunities and tools to support real change. Make sure all relevant and interested people from your firm are aware of upcoming invitations. 

The Law Institute of Victoria has formed Advocates for Change to address sexual harassment in the profession. The group of  more than 50 Victorian legal professionals are taking action in their individual organisations to raise awareness, share experiences, encourage mutual learning and good practice, and to be advocates for change. Advocates for Change is led by four co-convenors: Justice Chris Maxwell (President of the Victorian Court of Appeal), Adam Awty (CEO, Law Institute of Victoria), Genevieve Collins (Chief Executive Partner, Lander & Rogers), and John Somerville (CEO, Slater and Gordon). READ MORE HERE

National Volunteer week in 2022 is 16-22 May, and the theme this year is "Better Together".
Volunteering brings people together; it builds communities and creates a better society for everyone.

To find our more about National Volunteer Week, CLICK HERE

Volunteering Australia CEO, Mark Pearce continues with his theme of 'change is the only constant' in 2022, following the protracted COVID-19 pandemic, however he says that 'change' in 2022 will be positive as communities reconnect and regain control and the strategic importance of volunteering and it's sense of purpose come to the forefront. See his report in ProBono Australia HERE

The effectiveness of Net-zero corporate targets and strategies and the reliability of reported data is under increasing scrutiny. In response The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) organisation released the first clear standard for net zero targets in November last year. Now the Carbon Trust has released perhaps the first external certification to verify business' net-zero targets and strategies. which will be badged as either “taking action”, “advancing” or “leading”.  READ MORE

So here’s an interesting observation that speaks volumes about how climate action awareness differ across industries and how the legal sector stands out for climate concern. A recent Momentum survey found the voting preferences of lawyers was most highly influenced by climate policy (62% compared to 49 percent average).  Standout industries with low climate change concern were accountants with45%, Financial managers with 38% and real-estate managers with 42%. READ THE REPORT