The Greener Way

Australia’s mandatory climate reporting (2026): What investors need to know | Dr Mary Stewart (ERM)
This week on The Greener Way, host Michelle Baltazar speaks with Dr Mary Stewart of ERM about Australia’s new mandatory climate disclosure regime introduced in 2024 and what the first wave of calendar‑year reports, due next month, means for investors, boards, and markets.
Dr. Stewart frames climate as a knowable risk with opportunity, urging investors to look for clear, accessible disclosure of what companies know, don’t know, and how they will close gaps on issues like scope 3 and scenario analysis, and argues strong Australian reporting could raise global investor expectations.
01:29 What mandatory reporting is
02:22 Who must report first
03:41 Early report quality check
05:43 Adequate versus gold standard
07:23 CEO And CFO ownership
09:49 Sector risks and market impact
13:16 Investor checklist for disclosures
15:01 Australia sets global expectations
15:52 Wrap up and disclaimer

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Gender pay gaps in financial services: What WGEA’s new targets mean for employers & investors
In this episode of The Greener Way, host Michelle Baltazar talks with Mary Wooldridge, CEO of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), about why gender equality in financial services matters and how new national reforms will affect employers, investors and super funds.
Wooldridge explains that WGEA collects yearly gender‑equality data from businesses with more than 100 employees and publishes their gender pay gaps. The latest results show some improvement, with an overall median pay gap of 11.2%, but a much higher 21.4% in financial services, along with ongoing imbalances across pay levels.
She also outlines new rules requiring large organisations to set and meet gender‑equality targets over three years, with public reporting and consequences for those that fall behind.
01:01 How pay gaps are measured
03:01 Key findings and stats
04:42 Financial services reality check
05:55 Reforms and target setting
06:58 Compliance and consequences
08:10 Choosing the right targets
09:44 What works in practice
11:56 Board and C-suite accountability
14:35 On ESG and gender equality
Links: WGEA Data Explorer

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Indigenous Cultural Heritage Protection: Investor Risk, Responsibility & First Nations-Led Governance | The Greener Way
This week on The Greener Way, host Michelle Baltazar speaks with Kado Muir, chair of the National Native Title Council ahead of the RIAA Conference in May where Muir is one of the panelists on a session titled, “Indigenous Cultural Heritage Protection: Investor Risk and Responsibility”.
Muir argues that tools already exist to protect indigenous heritage, but incentives and governance are lacking, including too few First Nations people in decision-making roles and boards.
He urges investors and governments to screen risks, work with First Nations governance institutions, and make cultural heritage protection a non-negotiable in boardroom discussions.
02:20 Responsible investment steps
03:46 Scorecards and governance gaps
06:46 Real world liability examples
11:45 Native title and investor risk
15:53 Building a virtuous cycle
17:50 Standardising with First Nations
19:05 Board representation is a blind spot
22:21 Five years after Juukan Gorge
23:40 Progress and podcast wrap
02:20 Responsible investment steps
03:46 Scorecards and governance gaps
06:46 Real world liability examples
11:45 Native title and investor risk
15:53 Building a virtuous cycle
19:05 Board representation blind spot
22:21 Five years after Juukan
23:40 Positive note and wrap
Links:
https://www.kadomuir.com.au/
Podcast: My culture story with Kado Muir

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Despite global sustainable funds recording more than US$80 billion in net outflows in 2025, Australia and New Zealand are bucking the trend and continue to attract new capital.
In this episode, Australian Ethical deputy chief investment officer John Woods unpacks how ESG investing is evolving in 2026, explaining why there's still plenty of opportunities out there for sustainable investors, the importance of transparency, and the need for a reliable ESG fund labelling system.
He also breaks down Australian Ethical’s approach to investing in emerging markets, and how it's looking at renewables, climate tech, private credit, and solar‑driven infrastructure.

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This week on TGW, host Michelle Baltazar welcomes ESG and responsible investing leader Dr Ian Woods to discuss 'ESG Unlocked', a new book he has co-authored with Josh Dowse, which was written to address the disconnect between how companies and investors understand and apply ESG.
Woods explains that the book’s aim is to demystify ESG by reducing jargon, joining the dots between corporate and investment perspectives, and showing how ESG integration can support both sustainability outcomes and profits and investment returns.
00:42 Meet Dr. Ian Woods + introducing the book 'ESG Unlocked'
02:07 How the book was born: Bridging the company–investor disconnect
03:52 From climate pioneer to ESG mainstream: What changed over time
06:18 Case study: IAG’s investor-aligned climate journey
08:00 Common ESG investing myths: Divestment, materiality and performance
11:50 The ticking clock: Physical climate risk vs transition risk
14:34 Natural, social, human and financial capital: making ESG relevant
16:21 Behind the scenes: Writing during COVID + making ESG readable
19:04 The next decade: No more “ESG teams”?
Links: ESG Unlocked

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