- All the news about Australian corporate accountability -
OCTOBER 2011
Indonesian police have shot and killed one employee, and injured several more, amid clashes with strikers who are seeking a pay rise, in line with other global employees of the mining company in other parts of the world. It is reported that the turmoil involved more than 1,000 striking workers.
05/10/11 G4S employee pleads guilty over prison van death
Following an incident where as Aboriginal elder died of a heart attack in the back of a prison van as the temperature soared passed 50 degrees celsius, an employee of the Western Australia State’s security contractor has been fined A$11,000 by Kalgoorlie Magistrates Court. Nina Stokoe pleaded guilty to the charge of failing to take reasonable care of the person in custody, as the air conditioner did not work while the man was transported in the van in the middle of summer (January), 2008. The finding follows previous fines brought against WA WorkSafe and G4S, amounting to A$285,000. The family of the man that died in custody received A$3.2 million in July 2010 in an ex-gratia payment from the WA state Government.
SEPTEMBER 2011
The Australian Government has asked Qantas to explain what role Air Pacific, a company it owns 46% in, played in the formulation of the Fiji military Government’s new ‘anti-union’ Emergency Industries (Employment) Decree. The airline is 51% owned by the Fijian Government and 2 Qantas staff sit on the board of the company. Australia’s parliamentary secretary for Pacific Island Affairs has called the new law a ‘disgrace’, citing the ILO’s condemnation of it, and stated that “‘m aware of the reports that Air Pacific engaged lawyers to draft the essential industry’s decree; obviously Qantas is a near-half shareholder in Air Pacific”.
28/09/11 NY Times reports that UK security firms is exploiting the plight of asylum seekers in Australia
The activities of Serco Group, the UK based government services contracting company, in managing Australian detention centres has been highlighted in a New York Times piece. The article claims the company is acting like a predatory, quickly taking commercial advantage of a government approach to mandatorily detain newly arrived asylum seekers.
AUGUST 2011
The Karonga Natural Resources Justice Committee, has formally requested information from various Government offices concerning mining operations in their area, including those of Paladin Energy Ltd. Paladin operates Malawi’s first uranium mine, Kayelekera Uranium Mine. The community based organisation wants the information to enable them to effectively monitor mining activities in the area for compliance with fundamental human rights and labour standards.
25/08/11 Times of India reports Rio Tinto involved in activist murder
Rio Tinto India, a subsidiary of Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto, is being accused of involvement in the killing of Shelha Masood in Bhopal, India. The company denies any role in the murder of the activist.
21/08/11 Xstrata faces ‘climate change’ court challenge in Qld
AFP reports that land holders and Friends of the Earth International (FoE) have begun legal action in Brisbane to stop the Anglo-Swiss miner, Xstrata, from developing its AUD$6 billion, 80,000 acre, Wandoan operation. FoE claims the operation plans to export 30 million tonnes of thermal coal per annum, amounting to 0.15% of the world’s fossil fuel emissions. Read more from the Friends of the Earth Australia website here.
JULY 2011
27/07/11 Employees of airliner, Jetstar, claim exploitation
ABC: Jetstar Airlines has been accused of exploiting cabin crew tonight, demanding they work 20-hour shifts, sometimes longer.
20/07/11 Senator’s weigh in on gas industry compensation conflict with QLD farmers
Conflict has deepened in the row between farmers and gas companies over compensation and land use in Queensland.
13/07/11 Entrepreneurs buy Triabunna woodchip mill
Tasmanian logging company, Gunns, has sold Triabunna woodchip mill to an Australian Greens Party donor and the founder of the brand Kathmandu for $10 million. Plans are for the area to eventually be converted into a tourist hub in the southern island State.
01/07/11 Securency Executives Arrested Over Corruption Allegations
ABC News: In a series of dawn raids six Australian businessmen were arrested and charged for allegedly paying bribes worth millions of dollars to officials in Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
JUNE 2011
The Centre for Human Rights and Environment, CEDHA, has initiated an OECD National Contact Point case against Australian miner, Xstrata Copper for alleged destruction of glaciers and permafrost integral to the local environment around San Juan, Argentina.
01/06/11 Australian miner OZ Minerals caught up in serious corruption allegations in Cambodia
On Tuesday The Cambodia Daily broke a story of Australian mining company, OZ Minerals, paying almost USD$1 million to the family members of Cambodian Government officials as part of a buy deal of its previous junior business partner, Shin Ha Mining Co. Ltd. The news has been picked up internationally in recent days.
MAY 2011
30/05/11 Ruggie presents his final report to the UN Human Rights Council
Prof. John Ruggie, UN Special Representative of the Secretary General on Business and Human Rights, has presented his last report to the UN Human Rights Council ending his third term in the position. The presentation to the Council finally officially unveiled the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. There were several other documents also released as annexes to the presentation. See more on these developments here.
28/05/11 BP unnerves environmentalists with its exploration plans off South Australian coast.
BP has plans to conduct ocean seismic testing in search for oil off the South Australian coast from October this year, for a period of six months. The plans have caused concern for the local fishing industry and environmental groups. See more about this story here.
26/05/11 Joint Civil Society statement urges Human Rights Council to establish a UN Human Rights & Business ‘Special Procedure’ to follow up the work of the SRSG.
In the lead up to the end of the third mandate of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General on Business & Human Rights, over 50 civil society organisations have called on the UN to establish a Special Procedure at the UN to carry on his work. For more on this story see here.
25/05/11 OECD Reveals Updated Version of Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
With a new human rights chapter, and the inclusion of references to climate change, the OECD is hailing the release of its revised Guidelines for MNEs as a success. However, some civil society groups see a more checkered picture. See OECD press release here and OECD Watch’s reaction to the release to the Guidelines here.
20/5/11 The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights develops a ‘Statement on the obligations of State Parties regarding the corporate sector and economic, social and cultural rights’.
At their 46th Session the UN CESCR has revealed a Statement related to State obligations regarding corporations and their relationship to ESC rights. See the Statement here.
15/05/11 Toll Holdings & AusAid in spotlight over controversial Cambodian railway project.
The Australian Government’s aid organisation, AusAid, has provided funding, together with the Asian Development Bank to assist Cambodia to rehabilitate its railway lines. Toll Holdings, is in a joint partnership to privately operate the rail lines for the Government with Cambodian corporate giants the Royal Group. The project is receiving alot of attention over the significant resettlement impacts. See more about the story in Zoe Daniel’s report for the ABC at this link.
APRIL 2011
15/04/11 UK newspaper, The Independent, alleges Ango-Australian miner Rio Tinto is producing pollution while mining for minerals used in 2012 London Olympics medals.
Read more about this story here.
15/04/11 Second Meeting of the ‘Human Rights Working Group for Business’
The Global Compact Network Australia (GCNA), a local network of the UN Global Compact [UNGC] held their second meeting of its Human Rights Working Group for Business. The event was hosted in Sydney on April 15, 2011. ACAN welcomes the progress of this new Working Group and the continuing success of the GCNA. ACAN also looks forward to working together with the Working Group and other broader civil organisations to further Australian corporate accountability. See more details on the GCNA here.
12/04/11 Peter Costello linked to Controversial Banana Plantation in Cambodia
ABC’s Lateline program aired a story related to a proposed banana investment project run by an affiliate of BKK Partners, which is an investment company that former Federal Treasurer Peter Costello is now managing director of. The story the controversial forest location of the project and interviews conservation groups not pleased with the proposal. For more on the story, follow the link.
MARCH 2011
24/03/11 OceanaGold in the spotlight again in the Philippines
ABC Newsline program airs a story about the bitterly controversial Australian mining operation run by OceanaGold mining operation in the Philippines. The story covers the recent recommendations of the Human Rights Commission of the Philippine Government to withdraw Philippine Government authorisation for the mining project.
See the ABC’s video archive of the story here. (You will need to scroll down the page and click on the ‘Alleged Abuses’ story).
Want to read more ACANews?
For a comprehensive look at all the current australian corporate accountability news, check out the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre’s webpage dedicated to all Australian Corporate Accountability (ACA) issues.
Read about ACAN’s 2010 launch in Amnesty International’s Human Rights Defender magazine.