GES Resolutions August 2001

Erika Ford has managed her own company for 12 years as an environmental consultant specialising in waste minimisation and community consultation. In the last decade she has served on several boards as an Executive Member, including Keep SA Beautiful Incorporated, and the Waste Management Association of Australia. Experience in the resource recovery sector accords Erika a clear perspective of immerging trends in Energy from Waste generation, Life Cycle Analysis and Sustainability benchmarking. Over the past sixteen years, Erika has traded shares and managed a six-figure share portfolio and has been at the forefront of ethical shareholding in Australia, promoting "Profits - but not at any cost."

* Erika is the subject of an ABC Australian Story program, scheduled to air on Thursday, 9th August at 8pm.

Erika's past experience includes working for the Country Fire Authority as a Community Facilitator, which demanded an unusual blend of skills and enables her to assess and minimise community risk, (including forests), for the protection of life and property, and utilises Australian Risk Models and Dept of Natural Resources and Environment assessment methods.

She is the mother of teenage children and is an advocate of triple bottom line accounting, which exceeds current economic reporting to also include environmental and social performance.

Increasingly, she believes the community's demand for full "cradle to grave" accountability is gaining momentum and that good ethical performance and risk management go hand in hand, ensuring profitability and accountability into the future, by minimising risk and valuing resources more appropriately.


Dear Shareholder,

When I first became involved with Ethical Shareholding about three years ago, a somewhat cynical financial marketplace at the time doubted that shareholders were concerned with any issues apart from profit. I can tell you with absolute certainty that shareholders are very worried about where their money goes - and about the effects on local communities from their company's actions, and these sentiments are growing.

A growing number of Shareholders also consider that they have fundamental rights as investors, to be given information about the companies, and to have input into how business is conducted, particularly when there is potential for the company to be tied up in court actions, or worse, in litigation for environmental damages.

The Ethical Shareholders are more grey than green. Most of us are long-term shareholders and self-funded retirees who are equally concerned about profits and social justice issues. Our ultimate aim is to prevent the destruction of old growth forests that have earned global recognition for their special values, in a world where rainforests are disappearing by the hour. I firmly believe that resources should managed in a sustainable way that looks further than just short-term economic profits.

Ethical shareholding has become more mainstream over the last couple of years. Shareholder perceptions are subjective and vary according to age, experience and culture. Adopting the term "Ethical Shareholder" has also opened up debate about what ethics mean in this day and age. Some people are very threatened by others who use the term when describing their interests. I'm sure there are shareholders who consider themselves to be ethical people, but may not as yet, have given specific thought to some of the changes in community attitudes which affect businesses today.

Hindsight is a marvelous thing, and we have the option to make a valuable contribution to this land. Shareholders are stakeholders too. As part owners of companies, each of us shares in both the future profits and liabilities of our investments, and we need to acknowledge the responsibilities that are incumbent on that ownership.

Please support my nomination to Gunn's Ltd. Board as an Independent Director.

Erika Ford,
Ethical Shareholder

Gunns Ethical Shareholders Inquiries Tel: 0412 070960
PO Box 6019, COLLINGWOOD NORTH VIC 3066
http://www.green.net.au/gunnsethicalshareholders/



GES asks you to consider supporting these two resolutions

Resolution 1

That, in view of

  • The substantial proportion ( almost 50%) of the equity of the Company owned by public investors and,
  • The desirability that the Board of the Company should comprise a corresponding percentage of Directors who are demonstrably independent

The Board should appoint at least two new directors who are demonstrably independent and preferably have core competencies: accordingly the members nominate Ms.Erika Ford be elected to the Board of Directors.

Resolution 2

Recognising that Gunns Ltd. has substantially expanded and now has an increased interest in and reliance upon the controversial woodchipping industry, the shareholders ask that the board

1.   Provide within 2 months of the date of this meeting to shareholders a report that provides the following information:

  • Whether any of Gunns' sawlogs or woodchips were sourced in the last financial year from the Styx Valley or other forests identified by Premier Jim Bacon's 'Tasmania Together' process as areas that should be protected from clearfelling and if so what was the tonnage.
  • Whether Gunns' are planning to source any sawlogs or woodchips from these areas in the current financial year 2001/2002.
  • The projected availability and cost of logs purchased from Forestry Tasmania.
  • What percentage of Gunns' earnings before interest and tax for the financial year 2001/2002 are projected to be derived from the sale of export woodchips.
  • Whether any Japanese customers have indicated their intention to reduce their purchases of native woodchips and if so by how much and when.
  • What proportion of Gunns' profits are derived from the logging of oldgrowth forests or rainforests, or from the replacement of native forests by new plantations.


SIGNED………………………………………………………………………………
NAME…………………………………………………………………………………
ADDRESS………………………………………………………………………………

Gunns Ethical Shareholders Inquiries Tel: 0412 070960
PO Box 6019, COLLINGWOOD NORTH VIC 3066
http://www.green.net.au/gunnsethicalshareholders/

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