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Companies recognised for excellence in sustainability reporting

16 Sep 2009

VicSuper took top honours at ACCA Australia's annual Sustainability Reporting Awards, winning in three categories - Best Sustainability Report, Best SME Report and Best Report in the Financial Service Sector.

The awards, sponsored by KPMG, recognised excellence in environmental, social and sustainability reporting, with companies being judged on transparency in reporting and how well they communicate their corporate performance to stakeholders.

'The global economic downturn has highlighted a clear need for greater disclosure and quality of reporting, beyond compliance,' said Michaela Campbell, head of ACCA Australia and New Zealand. 'It is important for Australian organisations to continue to improve reporting standards and levels of accountability with stakeholders.

'This year's awards show that sustainability is top of mind for Australian organisations. More than half the ASX50 entered this year’s awards and overall we experienced a 54% increase in entries.'

An independent judging panel outlined seven key recommendations on issues disclosure, policy disclosure, supply chain, assurance framework, reporting quality, online accessibility and room for improvement. In addition to VicSuper, the winners were as follows:

• Watercare Services - winner, Best Report in the Water Sector
• Origin Energy - winner, Best Report in the Energy and Utilities Sector
• Henry Davis York Lawyers - winner, Best First-time Reporter
• Henry Davis York Lawyers - winner, Best Report in the Professional Services Sector
• Toyota Motor Corporation Australia - winner, Best Report in the Consumer and Business Services
• BHP Billiton - winner, Best Report in the Materials Sector
• Stockland - winner, Best Report in the Property Sector
• Woolworths - winner, Best Report in the Retail Sector
• Telstra - winner, Best Report in the Telecommunications Sector
• Transurban Group - winner, Best Report in the Transport Sector

Mission Australia, The Warehouse Group, Finsbury Green and Urgent Couriers also achieved commendations for the quality of their reports.