• Time for Australia to introduce board and workplace (gender) quotas?
• Pushing ahead on closing the gender pay gap (COVID notwithstanding)

• Stakeholder focus is increasingly being reflected in incentive design and Australian companies are leading the way

• On the rebound: Lazard review finds levels of shareholder activism rebounded in Q4 2020, with overall activity down only 13% on 2019 levels
• Corporate governance regulatory reform as a driver of shareholder activism?
  
   

• Top Story | Larry Fink's annual letter 2021: Tell us how you are moving to net-zero
• Divestment vs collective engagement: Market Forces campaign calls on superannuation fund to dump fossil fuel investments
  
   

• Failure to adequately safeguard shareholder rights could lead to adverse voting recommendations: Glass Lewis confirms its stance on electronic meetings heading into 2021

• Enabling more 'decision-useful' reporting: Updates to the International <IR> Framework released

• Fair compensation: Unilever announces plans to cease doing business with firms unless they pay all employees a living wage
• WEF launches global coalition to tackle workplace racism
  
   

• Top Story | COVID-19 business interruption insurance: UK Supreme Court test case details
•  Top Story | COVID-19 business interruption insurance: Lessons from the UK
•  Barriers to the provision of financial advice: SAFAA argues ASIC needs to move away from a 'one size fits all' advice model
•  AFCA jurisdiction: AFCA amends rules following ASIC direction
•  FSRC recommendations 4.14 and 4.15: APRA launches further consultation on SPS250 and releases draft guidance
• Addressing the 'COVID-19 super-gap': The AIST has urged the government to proceed with the planned increase in the superannuation guarantee
  
   

Cybersecurity, Technology and Privacy

• ASIC cyber incident: A server used by ASIC was accessed without authorisation
• Cybersecurity incident: RBNZ's investigation into the incident is continuing
• Recent cyber incidents linked to use of the same software?

ESG

• Disclosure is not enough: Stakeholders expect companies to live up to their public ESG stance (and so far, they're unconvinced that companies are doing so)…
• Climate risk: Australia to sign up to two new international agreements and unveil a refreshed national climate resilience and adaption strategy in H2 2021
• In Brief | Key concerns: The World Economic Forum's latest Global Risks Report identifies environmental risks (extreme weather, inaction on climate change and human environmental damage as the top three risks by likelihood
  
   

• Top Story | Webinar: Unique situations call for timely action – how funds and financiers can take advantage of distressed debt opportunities