| Organisational Overview | ||||||
| Organisational Overview This section captures information that helps determine if some of the subsequent questions are required and also plays a role in benchmarking. Please make sure you provide accurate answers. This is also one of the more challenging sections as it may require gathering information from multiple sources. We suggest you collect all this information before progressing to other parts of the questionnaire. | ||||||
| 1. What were your organisation's total assets under management as of the most recent count (in millions)? (Estimating to the nearest hundred million as of December 31 2008 would be preferable - although the most recent available count would be sufficient. If your currency is not listed, please select 'other' and indicate your currency or convert to United States dollars.) | 400 | |||||
| Please select currency | Australian dollar (AUD) | |||||
| 1a. If 'Other' was selected, please specify the other currency here | No Answer | |||||
2. Please pick the one category and level of complexity that best describes your organisation (if your organisation is a pension fund, please also select your pension type). This information may be used to provide you with the best possible benchmarking. Complexity
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| Non-corporate pension or superannuation or retirement or provident fund or plan | Simple | Primarily defined contribution | ||||
| 2a. If 'Other' was selected, please specify the other category here | No answer | |||||
| 3. Please provide an approximation of your average asset mix for 2008 or your asset mix as of the most recent count (in percent):(+/- 5% is sufficient. The sum of all the fields must be 100%) | ||||||
Active | Passive | Active | Passive | |||
| Listed equity (developed markets) | 0 | 0 | 53.8 | 0 | ||
| Listed equity (emerging markets) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | 1.2 | 0 | 20 | 0 | ||
| Private equity | 0 | 0 | 3.8 | 0 | ||
| Listed real estate or property | 0 | 0 | 2.9 | 0 | ||
| Non-listed real estate or property | 0 | 0 | 2.9 | 0 | ||
| Hedge funds | 0 | 0 | 3.9 | 0 | ||
| Commodities | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Infrastructure | 0 | 0 | 1.3 | 0 | ||
| Cash | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.6 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 2.6 | 0 | ||
| Governance, Policy and Strategy | ||||||
| Governance, Policy and StrategyQuestions 5 through 15 are about the governance and oversight of your organisation's responsible investment activities and the associated policies and strategy. This section will be scored separately from the six Principles."Policy" in this section may refer to one overall RI policy or multiple policies that address various elements of RI. | ||||||
| 5. Do you have a policy that makes specific reference to responsible investment (RI) or environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues? | Yes | |||||
| 6. If you have a policy that makes specific reference to RI/ESG issues, which of the following Principles does it address?(Please check all that apply.) | Principle 1: We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes.,Principle 2: We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices.,Principle 3: We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest.,Principle 5: We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles.,Principle 6: We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles. | |||||
| 7. If you have a policy that makes specific reference to RI/ESG issues, which of the following asset classes does it apply to?(Please check all that apply.) | Listed equity (developed markets),Fixed income (corporate issuers),Private equity,Listed real estate or property,Non-listed real estate or property,Hedge funds,Infrastructure,Cash (not included in scoring),Microfinance, other small investments (not included in scoring) | |||||
| 8. If you have a policy that makes specific reference to RI/ESG issues, when was your policy last reviewed? | Within the last 3 years, and planning to in 2009 | |||||
| 9. If you have a policy that makes specific reference to RI/ESG issues, has it been disclosed publicly?(If answering yes, please indicate how this statement can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering no, please explain why not.) | Yes: 'http://www.christiansuper.com.au/content/EthicalLibrary.aspx' | |||||
10. To what extent has your approach to responsible investment been translated into a plan of action as reflected in business planning, strategic planning, or similar internal management processes?
| To a large extent | |||||
| 11. Who within your organisation has responsibilities related to RI implementation?(Please check all that apply.) | Board of trustees or board of directors,Committee of the board of trustees or board of directors,Chief Executive Officer or Chief Investment Officer or equivalent,RI or ESG specialist | |||||
| 12. Do you have a policy or approach/process that requires screening out or excluding stocks or sectors from your investment universe? | Both stocks and sectors | |||||
| 13. What are your reasons for screening out or excluding stocks or sectors from your investment universe?(Please check all that apply.) | We (and/or our clients) wish to avoid supporting the companies/sectors in question based on ethical considerations and we regard buying/holding their stock as providing such support,We believe that it is possible to exclude companies/sectors which will prove to be long term chronic underperformers in terms of their ability to maintain and grow earnings i.e. our exclusion is based on a high level integration,We believe that exclusion is a way in which we can influence the behaviour of companies (i.e. an element of our approach to engagement),We believe that certain companies/sectors are vulnerable to negative publicity surrounding the nature of their business and that this may have an adverse effect on share price performance (i.e. our screening is based on controlling investment risk) | |||||
| 14. Please describe how your organisation assesses if there is a link between your RI activities and the performance (risk and return) of your investments: | We engage with our investment consultant to monitor the impact of our screening and RI decisions on an annual basis | |||||
| 15. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Governance, Policy, and Strategy here. | No Answer | |||||
| Principle 1 | ||||||
Principle 1: We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes.For the purposes of this questionnaire, integration is the consideration of ESG issues alongside traditional financial measures, based on the belief that ESG issues can affect the performance (risk and/or return) of investment portfolios (to varying degrees across companies, sectors, regions, asset classes and through time). Please note that the view that ESG issues can influence investment returns may be based either on
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| 16. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle.This question and similar questions relating to each of the other Principles are being asked for three reasons. The first reason is to gather details regarding signatory implementation for inclusion in the PRI annual report on progress. The second reason is to capture activities not captured directly by questions in the Reporting and Assessment Tool. The third reason is to provide context and details to support verification calls. | Every investment decision made by the Fund undergoes a thorough analysis of the ethical implications. For example, on a company level, extensive research allows exclusions and weighting to be applied for involvement in areas the Fund deems as against our Ethical Charter. In regards to investment in managed funds, the funds in general are assessed for their ethical and sustainable focus and the risk of unethical involvement. This process often involves the Fund's Ethics Committee having dialogue with fund representatives. | |||||
| Integration of ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes of internally managed assets | ||||||
| 17. For what percentage of your internal assets under active management do you integrate RI/ESG issues into your internal investment decision-making processes (in percent)?(+/- 5% is sufficient.) | ||||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | 100 | |||||
18. To what extent have you integrated RI/ESG issues into your internal active investment decision-making processes?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| ||||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | To a moderate extent | |||||
19. When forming investment views, to what extent does your organisation gather and analyse ESG information, including, where applicable, information obtained from engagement activities?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| To a large extent | |||||
20. To what extent do portfolio managers or others making investment decisions in your organisation apply the ESG information and analysis available to them when constructing and managing portfolios?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| To a moderate extent | |||||
21. To what extent do you have a process for improving the effectiveness of research and portfolio management processes with regards to ESG factors?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| To a small extent | |||||
22. To what extent do you have a process for assessing and improving internal investment staff competency to incorporate RI/ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| To a moderate extent | |||||
| Integration of ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes of externally managed assets | ||||||
| 23. For what percentage of your external assets under management are RI/ESG issues integrated into the investment decision-making processes of your external investment managers (in percent, +/- 5% is sufficient)? | ||||||
| Listed equity (developed markets) | 50 | |||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | 0 | |||||
| Private equity | 100 | |||||
| Listed real estate or property | 0 | |||||
| Non-listed real estate or property | 15 | |||||
| Hedge funds | 0 | |||||
| Infrastructure | 100 | |||||
24. To what extent have RI/ESG issues been integrated into the investment decision-making processes of your external investment managers?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q23.)
| ||||||
| Listed equity (developed markets) | To a large extent | |||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | Not applicable | |||||
| Private equity | To a large extent | |||||
| Listed real estate or property | Not applicable | |||||
| Non-listed real estate or property | To a moderate extent | |||||
| Hedge funds | Not applicable | |||||
| Infrastructure | To a moderate extent | |||||
25. To what extent do you consider the capabilities of external investment managers to incorporate RI/ESG issues when searching for, selecting and retaining your external investment managers?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q23.)
| To a large extent | |||||
| Integration - final comments | ||||||
| 26. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 1 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 1 that have not been captured by the questions above. | Note - where external managers do not use their own processes, internal positive screening and exclusions continue to apply | |||||
| Principle 2 | ||||||
| Principle 2: We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices. | ||||||
| 27. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | The Fund has developed an Ethical Screening Policy that outlines our process and rationale for our ethical screening as well as an Ethically Directed Investment Charter which outlines how the Fund's goes about its ethical stance in practice. The Fund has also developed a Securities Ownership Policy that provides a framework for the Fund's regular proxy voting. | |||||
| (Proxy) voting - applies only to listed equity (developed markets), listed equity (emerging markets) and listed real estate or property. | ||||||
| 28. Do you have a (proxy) voting policy?(If 'Yes - disclosed publicly', please indicate how your (proxy) voting policy can be obtained- a URL would be sufficient. If answering no, please explain why not.) | Yes - internal document | |||||
| 29. Does your (proxy) voting policy address environmental, social, and governance issues? | ||||||
| Environmental | Yes | |||||
| Social | Yes | |||||
| Governance | Yes | |||||
| 30. Who decided how to vote on ballot items on behalf of your organisation in 2008?(Please check all that apply.) | Internal voting or governance group | |||||
31. To what extent is information related to ballot items gathered and analysed before voting decisions are made?
| To a moderate extent | |||||
| 32. Do you ensure that voting is done in accordance with your voting instructions? | We make no effort to ensure | |||||
| 33. Do you inform companies of your rationale when you abstain or vote against management recommendations? | We make no effort to communicate our views | |||||
| 34. Please indicate how many resolutions you could have voted on and how many resolutions you did vote on in 2008:(include abstentions as votes where votes against are not possible, use the last available one year period if information for 2008 is not available or too difficult to gather, approximate numbers are acceptable. If you are unable to provide the exact number please provide an approximation of the percentage by entering 10 in the 'Resolutions could have voted on' column and your estimate in the 'Resolutions voted on' column. So if you voted on about 70% of the possible resolutions you would enter 7 in the 'Resolutions voted on' column. If you are not sure, please enter a 1 in all four fields.) | ||||||
| Domestic | 100 | 25 | ||||
| Foreign | 100 | 5 | ||||
| 35. You are classified as an Asset Owner and should not answer this question. For the listed equities that you manage, do you provide (proxy) voting services for your clients if they request them? | No Answer | |||||
| 36. How does your securities lending program address voting? | We do not have a securities lending program | |||||
| 37. How many shareholder resolutions related to ESG issues did you file or co-file during 2008? | ||||||
| As lead filer | 0 | |||||
| As co-filer | 0 | |||||
| Planning to be lead filer in 2009 | 0 | |||||
| Planning to be co-filer in 2009 | 0 | |||||
| 38. Please explain why you did or did not file or co-file any shareholder resolutions related to RI/ESG issues during 2008: | Domestic jurisdiction and insignificant holdings make shareholder resolutions difficult and ineffective. Note we had a dispute with a service provider in relation to proxy voting costs for 2008 which forced temporary suspension of our proxy voting programme. Domestic proxy voting has now been resumed. | |||||
| Engagement - general | ||||||
| 39. Who engaged with companies to seek ESG improvements in 2008?Please rank who engaged with companies according to their importance within your overall active ownership activities. You can only select Most, Second, Third and Fourth most important once each. Only the method you rank as 'Most important' will be scored for benchmarking purposes. If you wish to request that your other methods of engagement also be scored, please complete all the relevant sections and email the PRI at assessment@unpri.org when you submit your response. | ||||||
| Internal staff | Second most important | |||||
| External investment manager(s) | Most important | |||||
| External engagement service provider(s) | Did not engage with companies in 2008 | |||||
| Planning to engage with companies in 2009 | |||||
| 40. Do you have a written engagement policy or other documents that direct engagement?(If 'Yes - disclosed publicly', please indicate how your policy can be obtained- a URL would be sufficient.) | Planning to in 2009 | |||||
| 41. If you have an engagement policy or other documents that direct engagement, what do they include?(Please check all that apply.) | No Answer | |||||
| 42. How many companies are you invested in? | 497 | |||||
| Engagement - internal staff | ||||||
43. To what extent do you have a process for identifying and prioritising ESG related engagement opportunities?
| To a large extent | |||||
44. How many portfolio companies did you engage with on ESG issues in 2008?
| ||||||
| Extensive engagement | 0 | |||||
| Moderate engagement | 0 | |||||
| Basic engagement | 5 | |||||
| 45. What proportion of your engagements addressed environmental, social or governance issues (in percent)?(One engagement may address more than one issue, so the three percentages need not add to 100%. For example, if you only had one engagement and it addressed environmental and governance issues then the answer would be 100% for environmental and 100% for governance.) | ||||||
| Environmental | 20 | |||||
| Social | 40 | |||||
| Governance | 40 | |||||
46. To what extent do you set ESG engagement objectives and attempt to evaluate your engagement success?
| Planning to in 2009 | |||||
| 47. What percentage of engagements that ended in 2008 were deemed successful (in percent)?(Engagement success: a considerable part of objectives or milestones that were set when the engagement commenced were achieved.) | 0 | |||||
48. To what extent do you have a process for assessing and improving staff competency to act as active owners and incorporate ESG issues into ownership practices?
| Planning to in 2009 | |||||
| Engagement - external engagement service provider(s) | ||||||
49. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. How many portfolio companies did your external engagement service provider(s) engage with on ESG issues on your behalf in 2008?
| ||||||
| Extensive engagement | ||||||
| Moderate engagement | ||||||
| Basic engagement | ||||||
| 50. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. What proportion of your external engagement service provider(s)'s engagements on your behalf addressed environmental, social or governance issues (in percent)?(One engagement may address more than one issue, so the three percentages need not add to 100%. For example, if you only had one engagement and it addressed environmental and governance issues then the answer would be 100% for environmental and 100% for governance.) | ||||||
| Environmental | ||||||
| Social | ||||||
| Governance | ||||||
51. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. To what extent do you contribute to and assess the ESG engagement activities of your external engagement service provider(s)?
| No Answer | |||||
| Engagement - external investment manager(s) | ||||||
52. How many portfolio companies did your external investment manager(s)'s engage with on ESG issues on your behalf in 2008?
| ||||||
| Extensive engagement | 0 | |||||
| Moderate engagement | 0 | |||||
| Basic engagement | 0 | |||||
| 53. What proportion of your external investment manager(s)'s engagements on your behalf addressed environmental, social or governance issues (in percent)? (One engagement may address more than one issue, so the three percentages need not add to 100%. For example, if you only had one engagement and it addressed environmental and governance issues then the answer would be 100% for environmental and 100% for governance.) | ||||||
| Environmental | 0 | |||||
| Social | 0 | |||||
| Governance | 0 | |||||
54. To what extent do you contribute to and assess the ESG engagement activities of your external investment manager(s)?
| Not at all | |||||
| 55. Did you consider the capabilities of external investment managers to engage with companies on ESG issues on your behalf when searching for, selecting and retaining your investment managers? | No | |||||
| Engagement - final comments | ||||||
| 56. What ESG issues were addressed in your or your service providers' engagement initiatives? (Please check all that apply.) | Activities in conflict zones,Other (please specify): 'Sustainability Reporting' | |||||
| 57. What measures do you or your external service provider(s) use to assess the impact and success of engagement? | Currently developing procedures. | |||||
| 58. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 2 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 2 that have not been captured by the questions above. | Internal engagement for domestic companies only. No data for external investment manager engagement. Note: Increased work completed in 2009 YTD on domestic engagement. | |||||
| Principle 3 | ||||||
| Principle 3: We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest. | ||||||
| 59. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | We are signatories to some disclosure projects and involved in efforts to increase the availability of research on ESG issues. | |||||
| 60. Who asked investee companies (or other investment entities) to provide information about their ESG policies, practices or performance in 2008?(Please check all that apply.) | Internal staff,Internal staff collaboratively with other investors,External investment manager(s),External investment manager(s) collaboratively with other investors | |||||
61. To what extent did you or your external engagement service provider(s) or your external investment manager(s) have a dialogue with investee companies (or other investment entities) regarding the production of standardized reporting about their ESG policies, practices or performance in 2008?('Standardized' could also include systematic reporting in areas where standardized reporting has not yet emerged.)
| ||||||
| Listed equity (developed market) | To a small extent | |||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | To a small extent | |||||
| Private equity | Not at all | |||||
| Listed real estate or property | Not at all | |||||
| Non-listed real estate or property | To a small extent | |||||
| Hedge funds | Not at all | |||||
| Infrastructure | Not at all | |||||
| 62. What formats of reporting on ESG issue policies, practices or performance have been requested? Please check all that apply. | Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) | |||||
63. To what extent did you or your external engagement service provider(s) or your external investment manager(s) seek information from companies regarding their practices related to norms, standards, codes of conduct or international initiatives related to ESG issues in 2008?
| To a small extent | |||||
| 64. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 3 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 3 that have not been captured by the questions above. | No Answer | |||||
| Principle 4 | ||||||
| Principle 4: We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry. | ||||||
| 65. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | The primary means through which we implement this Principle is through regular discussions with our fund managers. Most of our fund managers are now signatories. | |||||
| 66. Did you consider RI/ESG requirements when searching for and selecting service providers in 2008 when applicable? | ||||||
| Investment consultant | Not applicable | |||||
| Proxy voting service provider | Not applicable | |||||
| External overlay service provider | Not applicable | |||||
| Investment research provider | Not applicable | |||||
| 67. Have you included RI/ESG elements in the following? | ||||||
| Investment monitoring | Yes, some of the time | |||||
| Incentive structure (internally managed) | Not applicable | |||||
| Incentive structure (externally managed) | Not applicable | |||||
| Contractual relationships with external investment managers | Yes, some of the time | |||||
| Contractual relationships with other investment related service providers | Yes, some of the time | |||||
68. To what extent did you encourage your eligible service providers to become PRI signatories or consider RI/ESG factors in 2008?(Service providers include but are not limited to: external investment managers, investment consultants, proxy voting service providers, external engagement service providers, and investment research providers.)
| To a moderate extent | |||||
69. You are classified as an Asset Owner and should not answer this question. To what extent did you encourage your institutional clients to become PRI signatories or consider RI/ESG factors in 2008?
| No Answer | |||||
70. To what extent did you encourage peer organisations to become PRI signatories or consider RI/ESG factors in 2008?
| To a small extent | |||||
| 71. Have you revisited any relationships with service providers in light of RI/ESG issue-related capabilities? | No | |||||
| 72. Does your broker evaluation process (which determines how you allocate commissions to brokers) include an ESG component and/or do you have a budget to pay for ESG broker research? | Not applicable | |||||
| 73A. What is your total investment research budget (including brokerage commissions intended to recognize research, in the same currency used in Q1) | 0 | |||||
| 73B. what proportion of your total investment research budget is allocated to ESG research (in percent)? | 0 | |||||
74. To what extent do you identify ESG issues and suggest them to brokers or other investment research providers for research?
| To a moderate extent | |||||
75. To what extent did you engage in dialogue, lobbying or initiatives pertaining to government policy and/or industry regulations (for example, stock exchanges or accounting standards) related to RI/ESG issues in 2008?
| To a moderate extent | |||||
| 76. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 4 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 4 that have not been captured by the questions above. | No Answer | |||||
| Principle 5 | ||||||
| Principle 5: We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles. | ||||||
| 77. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | The fund's primary collaborative involvement is through the Christian Investors Forum, a group of Christian investors that collaborate idea and resources. The group collectively addresses relevant issues in the industry, seeking to improve participants own ethical practices and engage with companies. | |||||
78. To what extent did you collaborate with other investors to improve your effectiveness in implementing each of the following Principles?
| ||||||
| Principle 1 | To a small extent | |||||
| Principle 2 | To a small extent | |||||
| Principle 3 | To a small extent | |||||
| Principle 4 | To a small extent | |||||
| 79. How did you use the PRI Engagement Clearinghouse in 2008?(Please check all that apply.) | Logged in during 2008 to use the Clearinghouse as a learning tool or to keep up to date on ongoing engagements | |||||
| 80. Did you participate in any of the following RI/ESG issue-related collaborations and/or associations? For those not listed, please use the "other" field:(Please check all that apply.) | Carbon Disclosure Project,Regional social investment organisation (for example SIF or UKSIF),Other (please specify): 'Christian Investors Forum' | |||||
81. Please indicate the three RI/ESG issue-related collaborative engagement initiatives and/or industry associations that you participated in most extensively and indicate how you did so:
| ||||||
| 1st Other specify from Q80 | To a large extent | Prepared position papers, encouraged active engagement opportunities,etc | ||||
| Regional social investment organisation (for example SIF or UKSIF) | To a small extent | Attended various conferences & events, formed part of delegation to Commonwealth Government for RIAA Responsible Investment Academy Funding | ||||
| PRI | To a small extent | Participation in Small Funds Working Group, Asia Pacific Working Group | ||||
| 82. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 5 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 5 that have not been captured by the questions above. | No Answer | |||||
| Principle 6 | ||||||
| Principle 6: We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles. | ||||||
| 83. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | On the Fund's website we have disclosed our policies on our ethical position and practices. We regularly update our members on current ethical issues, our position and what action we are taking in our members news. The Fund at this stage does not disclose it's proxy voting position nor it's engagement progress. | |||||
84. To what extent did you disclose (privately and/or publicly) your approach to incorporating ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes in 2008?(If you disclose publicly, please indicate how this disclosure can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering not at all, please explain why not.)
| To a moderate extent: 'http://www.christiansuper.com.au/content/EthicalLibrary.aspx' | |||||
| 85. How did you disclose your (proxy) voting record in 2008?(Please select all that apply. If you disclose publicly, please indicate how this disclosure can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering not at all, please explain why not.) | Not at all: 'Beneficiaries not interested in this level of detail' | |||||
86. To what extent did you disclose (privately and/or publicly) your RI/ESG issue-related engagement activities, results and progress in 2008?(If you disclose publicly, please indicate how this disclosure can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering not at all, please explain why not.)
| Planning to in 2009: 'Increasing engagement efforts and structure in 2009' | |||||
| 87. Did you disclose (privately and/or publicly) RI/ESG activities, results and progress related to Principle 3, Principle 4 or Principle 5 in 2008?(If you disclose publicly, please indicate how this disclosure can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering not at all, please explain why not.) | ||||||
| Principle 3 | Yes - to the public | published as part of UN PRI report | ||||
| Principle 4 | Yes - to the public | published as part of UN PRI repor | ||||
| Principle 5 | Yes - to the public | published as part of UN PRI repor | ||||
| 88. How would you like to publish your responses to this PRI Reporting and Assessment tool?(Please check all that apply.) | Please automatically publish our responses to the reporting and assessment tool in full on the PRI website | |||||
| 89. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 6 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 6 that have not been captured by the questions above. | No Answer | |||||
| Closing Comments | ||||||
| 90. Please describe the benefits you have enjoyed as a result of signing the PRI: | The main benefit to the Fund of signing the PRI is that it provides a grounds on which we can engage with managers on ESG issues. The Fund has found that the issues are taken much more seriously when we are backed by an internationally recognized agreement such as the PRI. | |||||
| 91. What has your organisation changed as a direct result of becoming a PRI signatory? | We have had increased opportunities to work with other investors and the ESG sector has gained far greater recognition. We have had more success and more options in implementing the decision we made some years ago to implement ethical investments. | |||||
| 92. Did the financial market turmoil of 2008 cause you to change your approach to the consideration of ESG factors or active ownership? If it did, please explain how. | As ethics is at the core of our Fund's investment approach our approach has not changed. | |||||
| 93. What are the top three activities the PRI Secretariat could undertake to enhance and encourage further implementation of the PRI by current and prospective signatories? | ||||||
| 1. | Provide more support for like-minded funds or funds facing similar challenges (eg small funds, religious funds, etc) | |||||
| 2. | Continue to encourage ESG research | |||||
| 3. | Continue to release research showing outperformance of ESG factors. | |||||
| 94. What are your top three PRI-related goals/priorities for 2009? | ||||||
| 1. | Increased engagement - we have hired internal an research & engagement resource and hope to commence domestic engagement efforts in mid-late 2009. | |||||
| 2. | Increased use of Clearing house | |||||
| 3. | Have all external managers sign PRI by end of 2009 | |||||
| 95. What were your most significant achievements in 2008 in relation to your implementation of Principles? | ||||||
| Principle 1: We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes. | Awarded Ethical Investor (Australia) 2008 Sustainable Fund of the Year award in recognition of incorporation of ESG issues into investment decisions. | |||||
| Principle 2: We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices. | Continued to apply ESG and Ethical Investment principles more widely across all funds - invested in Microfinance and Social Infrastructure for the first time. | |||||
| Principle 3: We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest. | Have worked through fund managers and external programmes (CDP) to see increased disclosure on key issues. | |||||
| Principle 4: We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry. | We encouraged our fund managers to sign PRI - most of our managers are now signatories. | |||||
| Principle 5: We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles. | We have taken a leadership role in the local Christian Investors Forum to work on collaborative engagement opportunities. | |||||
| Principle 6: We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles. | Questionnaire completed, increased quality of reporting to fund members. | |||||
| 96. What were your biggest barriers in 2008 with relation to your implementation of the Principles? | ||||||
| Principle 1: We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes. | Transparency an issue still in some asset classes (eg Private Equity, Hedge Funds). | |||||
| Principle 2: We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices. | Dispute with proxy voting service provider caused significant outage in successful proxy votes. Domestic legislation makes getting resolutions on AGM agendas difficult. | |||||
| Principle 3: We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest. | Smaller companies still fail to generate strong sustainability reporting. | |||||
| Principle 4: We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry. | Resistance from fund managers due to 'internal processes.' | |||||
| Principle 5: We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles. | Limited internal resources. | |||||
| Principle 6: We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles. | Members not necessarily interested in detailed reporting. | |||||
| 97. Please indicate which principle you find the most difficult to implement and the principle you find the least difficult to implement: | ||||||
| Most difficult | Principle 3 | |||||
| Least difficult | Principle 1 | |||||