This article first appeared on Renew Economy on 19 October 2015 There’s an old saying that what counts is what gets counted, there’s a less well-known adage that says, what doesn’t get counted can cost you a fortune. The Australian insurance industry is finding out...
Suncorp’s $1bn extreme weather loss. Climate change, anyone?
24 September 2015 Suncorp Group held its Annual General Meeting in Brisbane today and several shareholders pointed out that in the last financial year, Suncorp was hit by losses from natural disasters of $473 million above provisions. The Brisbane hailstorm in...
First State Super joins divestment party
12 September 2015 So First State Super has joined the divestment party, albeit turning up with warm VB rather than the ice cold microbrew we were hoping for. On Wednesday evening, the fund advised its members that it would be divesting from fossil fuels in its...
Stephen moves his home loan
5 August 2015 After living in Melbourne for many years, Stephen and his family decided to move to country Victoria in pursuit of a more sustainable lifestyle. They bought an existing house that was relocated to their property and undertook a significant DIY...
Australian LNG projects: the next stranded assets?
9 July 2015 For years, Australia has harboured dreams of being a big player in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry. Former Energy and Resources Minister (and now, conveniently, Chairman of the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association Advisory...
Revealed: billions loaned to fossil fuels by the big banks
18 June 2015 Since 2008, Australia's big four banks (ANZ, Commonwealth, NAB and Westpac) have loaned $36.7 billion to the fossil fuel industry in Australia, and were involved in three-quarters of all deals to fossil fuel projects and companies over the same time...
Commbank biggest lender to coal and gas in the Reef
16 May 2015 A lot has changed in the two years since we released our Financing Reef Destruction report, which identified Australia's big four banks as the leading financiers of fossil fuel projects within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Some changes have...
Divestment Day live Oct 2014!
On the 17th and 18th of October, hundreds of Australians will be turning out to close their accounts in protest of the big banks' role in funding dirty coal and gas projects. We'll be tracking events around Australia right here on the live blog so stay tuned! Share on...
The growth of divestment
29 June 2014 This week, the number of people who have put their bank "on notice" (warning that they'll switch banks unless loans to fossil fuel projects stop) grew to account for over $160 million in savings alone. As far as metrics go, it's a pretty good way of...
Making your finances fossil free
4 June 2014 Are your personal finances helping to damage the climate? Chances are they are, without you even knowing it. Do you have a bank deposit? Are you a member of a super fund? Do you own shares? If so, your money is probably being used to finance the companies...