Voting & Engagement Guidelines
Guided by the foundational principles, the Australian Shareholders’ Association (ASA) serves as a vigilant advocate for corporate governance and investor rights. Our Voting and Engagement Guidelines are the bedrock of our comprehensive company monitoring efforts and advocacy initiatives, encapsulating member expectations for exemplary investment performance, ethical director conduct, and corporate governance standards.
When it comes to our voting intentions, ASA exercises its open proxies on various resolutions at corporate meetings, and ensure they are directly aligned with our established voting and engagement guidelines.
ASA’s 2026/2027 Focus Issues
ASA advocates for better outcomes for retail investors. Through company engagement and governance advocacy, ASA pushes listed companies to act in the best interests of all shareholders — especially individual investors.
ASA advocates for remuneration structures that are transparent, performance-linked and aligned with long-term shareholder value.
Companies should adopt a clear remuneration framework incorporating simplicity, transparency, alignment with long-term outcomes, appropriate performance hurdles and the prudent use of board discretion.
Disclosures should enable shareholders to readily understand how remuneration outcomes are determined and how they reflect company performance over time.
We expect boards to demonstrate strong accountability through independent assessment of individual director contributions, tenure, independence and expertise.
Companies should provide meaningful disclosure of individual director skills and how those capabilities align with the company’s strategic needs, together with commentary on how board composition is evolving. This supports informed shareholder voting and confidence in board effectiveness.
ASA supports timely, accessible and meaningful shareholder engagement, including best-practice hybrid AGM formats. Companies should ensure shareholders can participate, ask questions and vote in real time regardless of location. Engagement practices should be transparent and facilitate constructive dialogue between boards and shareholders, both at and beyond the AGM.
ASA expects boards to demonstrate active and informed oversight of material technology-related risks, including artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
Boards should maintain sufficient understanding and literacy to oversee AI use effectively, challenge management and avoid undue reliance on third-party providers.
Where relevant, companies should clearly disclose governance frameworks, risk management processes and accountability structures, including how AI is aligned with risk appetite and embedded within enterprise risk management.
Effective engagement is the best form of shareholder activism
ASA monitors the performance of most of Australia’s ASX200 companies with a dedicated team of company monitors. These volunteer members meet with company chairs and directors to discuss issues of importance to retail shareholders. in line with ASA’s Voting and engagement guidelines. Company monitors attend AGMs to ask questions and represent our members and retail shareholders.
Why become an ASA Monitor
Becoming a volunteer company monitor for Australian Shareholders’ Association offers the opportunity to actively engage in corporate governance, ensuring companies are accountable to their shareholders. It also provides a unique platform to influence corporate practices while enhancing your own investment knowledge and skills.
All ASA company monitors are member volunteers.
If you are interested in becoming a company monitor, please contact us by emailing: share@asa.asn.au