You can help in the campaign to force transnational mining companies to abide by international environmental and human rights standards.

The first step is to inform yourself. Compare the Corporate Code of Conduct Bill 2000 with the mining industries' own voluntary Code for Environmental Management.

Easy! Use the form below!

On 5 October 2000 the Australian Senate referred to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Securities the provisions of the Corporate Code of Conduct Bill 2000 for inquiry and report by 31 March 2001.

The Committee has invited interested organisations and individuals to lodge submissions on the Bill by Friday, 15 December 2000 with:

The Secretary
Parliamentary Joint Statutory Committee on Corporations and Securities
Suite SG 60
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600
or email: corporations.joint@aph.gov.au
facsimile: (02) 6277 57809

Send a submission to the committee or a letter to to the Australian government using the form below. Your message will be emailed to us, and we will then forward it to the relevant politicians. Please be sure to include your name and email address.

Your name:
Your e-mail address:
Subject:
Base Letter; modify if you wish: The Secretary Parliamentary Joint Statutory Committee on Corporations and Securities Suite SG 60 Parliament House CANBERRA ACT 2600 Dear Committee members, I am writing to you to support the spirit and intentions of the Corporate Code of Conduct Bill 2000. This year we have witnessed a number of major ecological disasters and violations of human rights by Australian mining companies. These are an embarrassment for all Australians and a setback to the good name in which we could conduct business overseas. Ok Tedi, Freeport, Lihir, Porgera and Kelian are just a few examples of Australian mining operations which have brought disrepute to the industry and the country. Australia is partly responsible for the Esmeralda mining disaster in Romania and should therefore be accountable. There are a number of actions we must take: Australia must facilitate the legal right to financial compensation for the victims who have suffered from operations such as the clearly inadequate procedures used by the Australian owned Esmeralda Explorations. Legislation must be introduced so that the overseas operations of Australian mining companies, such as Esmeralda Explorations and BHP, are subject to basic human rights and environmental standards irrespective of where their operations are based. This would reassure communities, governments, potential investors and business partners in other countries, that Australian corporations would be operating in an ethical and accountable way. The precautionary approach would protect communities and their environments, maximise shareholder value in the long run, and minimise the risk of costly compensation pay-outs. The resulting credibility would be a competitive advantage. The M.C.A voluntary code of conduct is inadequate. The environment is precious and it saddens me to see bad environmental and social practices being undertaken by Australian companies, be it in minerals or other industries. We wouldn’t let this happen in our backyard, you must act now to prevent it happening elsewhere. Yours sincerely, YOUR NAME HERE