Additional information
Global Reporting Index
The following disclosure elements and indicators from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G3 Reporting Guidelines have been used in the preparation of this report. In this section, we provide a table comparing information on this report to the guidelines of the GRI, entitled 'Sustainability Reporting Guidelines 2006.'
No. | Short Description / Title of Disclosure | Notes |
1 | Strategy and Analysis | |
1.1 | Statement from the most senior decision-maker of the organisation | See Overview. |
2 | Organisational Profile | |
2.1 | Name of the organisation | University of New South Wales |
2.2 | Primary brands, products, and/or services | Education and Research |
2.3 | Operational structure | |
2.4 | Location of organisation’s headquarters. | Randwick, Sydney, NSW, Australia |
2.5 | Number and name of countries where the organisation operates | 1 |
2.6 | Nature of ownership and legal form | Body corporate under statute |
2.7 | Markets served | Main markets served are Australia, India, China, United States |
2.8 | Scale of the reporting organisation | See About UNSW |
2.9 | Significant changes | There were no significant operational changes in the past year |
2.10 | Awards received | See Appendix 3: Prizes |
3 | Report Parameters | |
3.1 | Reporting period | 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2013 |
3.2 | Date of most recent previous report | This is UNSW’s first sustainability report |
3.3 | Reporting cycle | Calendar year to be consistent with UNSW’s Financial Reporting period. It is UNSW's intention to produce an annual sustainability report. |
3.4 | Contact point | Aaron Magner, Director of UNSW Safety and Sustainability. a.magner@unsw.edu.au |
3.5 | Process for defining report content | See Overview |
3.6 | Boundary of the report | See Overview |
3.7 | State any specific limitations | None |
3.8 | Basis for reporting on joint ventures, subsidiaries, leased facilities, outsourced operations | The reporting boundary includes controlled entitites, subsidiaries, leased facilities, outsourced operations where these fall within UNSW's operational control. This report applies the definition for "operational control" in section 11 of the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007. |
3.9 | Data measurement techniques and the bases of calculations | See Overview |
3.10 | Explanation of the effect of any re-statements of information provided in earlier reports, and the reasons for such re-statement | Not applicable as this is UNSW’s first report |
3.11 | Significant changes from previous reporting periods | Not applicable as this is UNSW’s first report |
3.12 | Table identifying the location of the Standard Disclosures in the report. | See Appendix 1: GRI Table |
4 | Governance | |
4.1 | Governance structure | In accordance with the University of New South Wales Act 1989 (NSW), UNSW is governed by a Council of 15 members representing University and community interests. |
4.2 | Indicate whether the chair of the highest governance body is also an executive officer. | The Chancellor is the chair of the University Council, a non-executive position. The Vice-Chancellor is the Principal Executive Officer of the University and is responsible for the overall direction of corporate planning, budget activities and external relations. Under the University Council, the Vice-Chancellor manages and supervises the administrative, financial and other activities of the University. |
4.3 | For organisations that have a unitary board structure, state the number of members of the highest governance body | Of the 15 members of University Council, three are official members (the Vice-Chancellor, President of Academic Board and the Chancellor). Others include: 2 ministerial appointments 2 elected academic staff 2 council appointees 2 elected students (1 undergraduate, 1 post-graduate) 1 elected non-academic staff. |
4.4 | Mechanisms for shareholders and employees to provide recommendations or direction to the highest governance body | There is a Student Representative Council with elected student leader office bearers that meet the Vice-Chancellor and Executive Team to raise issues on behalf of students on a regular basis. The Vice-Chancellor also holds regular town hall meetings where members of staff are able to ask questions. The University also recognises and meets with the trade unions including the NTEU, CPSU and United Voice, as employee representatives. |
4.12 | Externally developed economic, environmental, and social charters, principles to which the organisation subscribes/endorses | See Appendix 2: Declarations and charter |
4.14 | List of stakeholder groups engaged by the organisation | Stakeholder groups the university engages with include students, staff, alumni, donors, government, local councils, suppliers, other universities, student organisations and staff unions. |
4.15 | Basis for identification and selection of stakeholders with whom to engage | See Overview |
4.16 | Approaches to stakeholder engagement | See Overview |
EC | Economic | |
EC1 | Direct economic value generated and distributed (Core) | The economic performance of the University is reported on in the UNSW Annual Report, available online here. |
EC3 | Coverage of the organisation’s defined benefit plan obligations (Core) | No defined benefit super |
EC4 | Significant financial assistance received from government (Core) | |
EN | Environmental | |
EN2 | Materials used that are recycled (Core) | |
EN3 | Direct energy consumption (Core) | |
EN4 | Indirect energy consumption (Core) | |
EN8 | Water withdrawal by source (Core) | |
EN16 | Direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions by weight (Core) | |
EN18 | Initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reductions achieved (Additional) | |
EN22 | Waste by type and disposal method (Core) | |
EN23 | Significant spills (Core) | None |
EN24 | Waste deemed hazardous under the terms of the Basel Convention (Additional) | None |
EN28 | Significant fines and total number of non-monetary sanctions (Core) | None |
EN29 | Significant environmental impacts of transporting products (Additional) | None. |
LA | Labour Practices | |
LA1 | Total workforce (Core) | See Community, Equity and Diversity |
LA4 | Employees covered by collective bargaining agreements (Core) | UNSW Employees are covered by two enterprise agreements. The UNSW (Academic Staff) Enterprise Agreement 2015 and the UNSW (Professional Staff) Enterprise Agreement 2010. See UNSW Human Resources Enterprise Agreements. |
LA7 | Rates of injury, occupational diseases, lost days and absenteeism, and number of work related fatalities by region (Core) | |
LA9 | Health and safety topics covered informal agreements with trade unions (Additional) | The UNSW (Academic Staff) Enterprise Agreement 2011 and the UNSW (Professional Staff) Enterprise Agreement 2010 contains provisions relating to Occupational Health and Safety. See UNSW Human Resources Enterprise Agreements |
LA13 | Composition of governance bodies and employees according to gender, and other diversity indicators (Additional) | See Community, Equity and Diversity |
HR | Human Rights | |
HR3 | Employee training on human rights (Additional) | |
HR4 | Incidents of discrimination (Core) | None |
HR5 | Operations identified in which the right to exercise freedom of association and collective bargaining may be at significant risk (Core) | None |
HR6 | Operations identified as having significant risk for incidents of child labour (Core) | None |
HR7 | Operations identified as having significant risk for incidents of forced or compulsory labour (Core) | None |
SO | Society | |
SO4 | Actions taken in response to incidents of corruption (Core) | No incidents during reporting period |
SO5 | Public policy positions and participation in public policy development and lobbying (Core) | See UNSW Code of Conduct. See also Community, Research and UNSW Newsroom |
SO8 | Significant fines and total number of non-monetary sanctions for non-compliance with laws and regulations (Core) | In a decision of the NSW Industrial Court issued in March 2013, UNSW was found to have breached the Work, Health and Safety Act 2000 after a student suffered leg injuries and a broken wrist after falling from a boat while undertaking a research field trip on 31 July 2009. UNSW pleaded guilty and received a fine of $100,000. See WorkCover NSW report. |
PR | Product Responsibility | |
PR2 | Incidents of non-compliance with regulations and voluntary codes concerning health and safety impacts (Additional) | None |
PR5 | Practices related to customer satisfaction (Additional) | UNSW undertakes a regular graduate satisfaction survey of all UNSW graduates approximately four months after they complete the requirements for their awards. For more information see UNSW's Business Reporting and Intelligence, and Data Governance. |
PR7 | Incidents of non-compliance with regulations and voluntary codes concerning marketing communications (Additional) | None |
PR8 | Substantiated complaints regarding breaches of customer privacy (Additional) | None |
PR9 | Significant fines for non-compliance with laws and regulations concerning the provision and use of products and services (Core). | None |
GRI Application Table
We believe this report qualifies for application level C of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G3 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. Details of the profile disclosures and performance indicators addressed in this report can be found in the table at Appendix A and on the UNSW Sustainability website.
Declarations and charters
The following are the major declarations and organisations that are endorsed by UNSW and call for universities to make a strong commitment to the implementation of sustainability.
Declarations and Charters | Organisation or Event | Main Goal |
Agenda 21 (see Chapter 36 'Education, | UNESCO | Set in place a range of activities to implement global sustainable development. Advocates a holistic approach to environmental education. |
Australian Universities Ecological Development Charter | National Union of Students | Provide a strong framework to guide sustainability within Australian universities. Similar in content to the Talloires Declaration. |
AVCC Policy on Education for Sustainable Development | Universities Australia | Commit to education for sustainable development and acknowledge the leading role played by universities in furthering the goals of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD). |
Kyoto Declaration on | United Nations | Urge universities worldwide to seek, establish and disseminate a clearer understanding of sustainable development. It is recommended that each university have its own action plan that makes an institutional commitment to the principle and practice of sustainable development. |
Sapporo Sustainability | G8 University Summit | Outline the responsibility of universities to contribute towards sustainability and the specific actions they must undertake to fulfil that responsibility. It recognises eight principles concerning the role of universities in global efforts to attain sustainability. |
University Leaders for | Outlines a 10-point action plan for incorporating sustainability and environmental literacy in teaching, research, operations and outreach at | |
The Greenhouse Challenge | Australian Greenhouse | Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, waste products and plant and office equipment. |
United Nations Decade of | UNESCO | Implement environmental education globally, for everyone’s benefit, while working to build thecommunity’s capacity to co-create a sustainable future. |
Universitas 21 Statement on Sustainability | Universitas 21 (U21) | Member network of 20 research-led universities that benchmark against each other and commit to progressing global sustainable development in five areas:
|
Sustainability Collaboration Agreement | Randwick City Council | Enables UNSW students to access internship and placement opportunities with Randwick Council and for the council to access a number of specialist sustainability activities underway across the University. It facilitates practical student learning and the application of particular areas of research and teaching into on-ground sustainability related projects or strategy areas being delivered through Council programs. |
Acknowledgements
UNSW Sustainability would like to extend huge thanks to the following people who made the compilation of this report possible:
Dr Jose Bilbao
Robert Brown
Mark Clark
Amy Coopes
Carla Corradi
Ojasvi Chavali
Associate Professor Vinayak Dixit
Kate Dunn
Wendy Frew
Raymond Galway
Murray Green
William Hunter
Professor Ian Jacobs
Nicholas Jones
Denise Knight
Evelyn Kuldan
Associate Professor Pierre Le-Clech
Aaron Magner
Fiona Martin
Fiona MacDonald
Tony Maniaty
Stephen Moore
Clare Morgan
Estely Pruze
Janet Pursehouse
Professor Veena Sahajwalla
Arifa Sarfraz
Professor Nicholas Schofield
Dr Neeraj Sharma
Fran Strachan
Professor Ian Turner
Christopher Vanneste
Professor Travis Waller
Louise Williams
We would like to acknowledge Penny Jones for her work in seeking out and developing stories and interpreting research and data to support this year's report. We'd also like to extend special thanks to Ecocreative. Their strategic, design and communications services (and infographics) have greatly enhanced this sustainability report.
Additional thanks must go to commercial partners that helped provide data and supporting information, including Climate Friendly, Complete Office Supplies, Doyle Bros, Gastronomy and GoGet.