ANZ shareholders to vote on governance, deforestation resolutions

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) has received three shareholder resolutions for consideration at its annual general meeting (AGM) scheduled for December 18, 2025. These resolutions, submitted under section 249N of the Corporations Act 2001, focus on amendments to the company's constitution and its approach to financed deforestation.

The first resolution proposes inserting a new sub-clause into clause 13 of the company's constitution, allowing shareholders to express opinions or make requests regarding the exercise of directors' powers. These must relate to material company issues, be advisory only, and not bind the directors.

The remaining two resolutions address environmental concerns. Shareholders are requesting ANZ to assess and publicly disclose its deforestation exposure through finance provided to agriculture sector customers. Additionally, a third resolution calls for ANZ to disclose a strategy to eliminate financed deforestation, aligning with credible frameworks such as the Accountability Framework initiative. The accompanying statements for these resolutions, along with the ANZ Board's recommendations, will be distributed with the notice of annual general meeting. ANZ plans to release relevant information in its 2025 climate report, available at anz.com/annualreport.