Those funds have their own net zero timelines or commitments to the Paris Agreement to limit emissions, the report found, yet they largely voted in line with management on shareholder resolutions at their latest AGMs.AustralianSuper and Hostplus both voted with management on every 2023 AGM item for Woodside, for example, despite the former voting against its climate plan last year.
The report also found that Australian Retirement Trust, CareSuper, Hostplus, Mercer, ESSSuper and Spirit Super all increased their exposure to Santos in 2022, then voted with management on every AGM item this year. If funds were serious about their active engagement strategies, they should have stepped up their pressure as shareholders or risk greenwashing claims, he said.