Climate risk disclosure by Australia’s listed companies

Climate change is a foreseeable risk facing many listed companies in the Australian market in a range of different industries. Directors and officers of listed companies need to understand and continually reassess existing and emerging risks (including climate risk) that may affect the company’s business. This extends to both short-term and long-term risks.

Listed companies should provide meaningful and useful risk disclosure to enable investors to make fully informed decisions. In some cases, the Corporations Act requires listed companies to disclose material business risks.

The authors of this report conducted a review of climate risk disclosures:

• by 60 listed companies in the ASX 300

• in 25 recent initial public offering (IPO) prospectuses

• across 15,000 annual reports.

This report sets out the authors' findings and high-level recommendations for listed companies and their directors and advisers on climate risk disclosure.