In presenting the Final Report and recommendations of
the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation
and Financial Services Industry in February, Commissioner Kenneth
Hayne found that many of the organisations they were called upon to
investigate throughout the Commission had failed to meet
'community standards and expectations'.
One way that organisations can meet community
expectations of corporate conduct is by ensuring that
decision-making is consistent with internationally recognised human
rights norms.
Human rights are based in international law, and provide an
ethical lens that can transcend national and cultural boundaries.
They put people at the centre of decision-making, and can be used
to assess and address any unintended harm. They also remove the
subjective element from ethics and replace it with internationally
agreed standards that are ready to be incorporated into thoughtful
governance, corporate decision-making processes and
