Doctoral thesis of Philosophy: Climate change-related corporate governance disclosure practices: evidence from Australia

This research is comprised of three interrelated stages of a broader study of the climate change-related corporate governance disclosure practices of Australian companies. The first stage of the study investigates the climate change-related corporate governance disclosure practices of five major Australian energy-intensive companies over a 16-year period (from 1992 to 2007). The five companies are BHP Billiton, Caltex, Origin Energy, Rio Tinto and Santos Limited. A content analysis research method was adopted to investigate disclosures within annual reports and standalone social and environmental (or sustainability) reports.