Human Rights Statement

Our statement on human rights

Human rights at Export Finance Australia

As Export Finance Australia is a corporation owned by the Government, our primary purpose is to facilitate and encourage Australian export trade on a commercial basis. In fulfilling that role, we’re required to adhere to Australia’s obligations under international agreements, including Australia’s human rights obligations.

Internationally recognised human rights

At Export Finance Australia, we respect internationally recognised human rights and endeavour to reflect that respect through our operations and governance processes. This includes those expressed in the following, where relevant to our transactions:

• the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its two covenants, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (collectively known as the International Bill of Human Rights)

• the International Labour Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
These documents are the minimum reference point for internationally recognised human rights, as identified in the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. These guiding principles were unanimously endorsed by the United Nations Human Rights Council in June 2011.

Our human rights interactions

At Export Finance Australia, we consider that our main interaction with human rights occurs through the:

• projects and businesses supported by our financial products and solutions

• relationships with our employees.

The consideration and assessment of human rights are integrated into Export Finance Australia’s management processes and systems, which are subject to ongoing review. These processes include a publicly available policy and procedure for environmental and social review of transactions, as well as a mechanism for handling complaints or grievances.

Export Finance Australia’s implementation of this statement on human rights is consistent with Commonwealth Government policy. It was adopted by the Export Finance Australia Board on 3 December 2015.