Currently doing business or have a major contract with the Queensland Labor Government, if yes, then read on…
As a firm, we look forward to our continued involvement in the ESG Space for our organisation and our clients. The demand for both recognising ESG reporting and implementation is an issue that all boards, entrepreneurs, owners and executives must pay attention to, to ensure the ongoing viability and competitiveness of their respective businesses.
In November 2022 the Queensland Labor Government held its “Queensland Labor State Platform 2022 conference and a key deliberation from that conference was that:
“Labor will ensure that government and local government procurement is transacted with transparency and accountability. Labor will focus on increased capability, capacity and probity for the government and local government, and its suppliers. It will ensure that not only does the state and local communities achieve value for money, but that our buying power is leveraged to achieve sustainable and social outcomes for all Queenslanders. In acknowledgement of this, a Queensland Labor government will ensure the following:
Climate Active certified (or credible equivalent) suppliers will be given a higher weighting for the highly desirable criteria and this criteria will increase to a mandatory standard by 2030.”[1]
We see this as a clear signal from the Queensland Government of its willingness and desire to work with businesses that value sustainability and social responsibility.
Climate Active is a Federal Government Initiative that requires businesses to voluntarily measure their carbon emissions for a particular base year, and then go about reducing the emissions by altering business processes. In the absence of sufficient reduction to emissions, the emissions can be offset via the purchase of carbon credits that transpire from renewable energy projects in Australia and Internationally. Once this process is completed, the organisation can state that it is “carbon neutral.” We feel that businesses who obtain this certification will have a clear competitive advantage over their peers when tendering for Queensland Government Contracts in the lead up to 2030, and that as ESG is recognised more broadly in Australia, this advantage will only increase.
Feel free to read about how our firm achieved carbon neutral status in October 2020 via the link below:
https://wwnsw.com.au/walker-wayland-nsw-achieves-certified-carbon-neutrality/
If you want to find out more about how your organisation can become carbon neutral please reach out to our ESG team members for an obligation free conversation.
Wali Aziz Kate Douglass
Partner Partner
Head of Audit & ESG Leader Business Advisory, Tax & Accounting
Email: wali.aziz@wwnsw.com.au Email: kate.douglass@wwnsw.com.au
[1] https://queenslandlabor.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Queensland-Labor-State-Platform-2022.pdf
