Companies still slow to act, former Australian minister says

Progress in corporate sustainability made by Australian businesses, non-governmental organizations and the media has won praise from Ros Kelly, the former federal environment minister. However, Kelly, whose commitment to CSR was recognized in January with the Order of Australia, emphasized that the pace of change was too slow and that more businesses should follow the CSR principles of preserving the environment and contributing to their communities.

Kelly was speaking at Australia’s 2004 Ethical Investor Sustainability Awards ceremony hosted by the Total Environment Centre’s Green Capital Program in Sydney.

The Sustainable Company of the Year and Merit Award for Environment went to Investa Property Group. Other business awards: Sustainable Small Company of the Year, Gale Pacific; Merit Award for Community and Social Work, Telecom New Zealand; Merit Award for Corporate Governance, St George Bank.

The winners of the awards for charities and ethical funds were: Givewell Best Practice Charity Award, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; the inaugural Givewell Best Charity Project Award, Deadly Treadlies, an activity of Alice Springs Youth Accommodation and Support Services; Ethical Fund of the Year Award, the BT Australian Sustainability Share Fund, where an honourable mention went to the Trust van Eyk Ethical Model Strategy.