Lists

When 100 signatures triggered an AGM event


March 31, 2026

If 100 shareholders sign up, a company must put up a shareholder resolution or distribute up to 1000 words on an issue to all shareholders in an Australian public company under s249 of the Corporations Act. Here is a list of 60+ examples of the 100 signatures being successfully gathered over the past 40 years.

AGL, 2019: 3 resolutions. See notice of meeting. There was 6.57% support for the constitutional amendment, 32% support for the transition plan and 11% for the resolution related to the public health risks of coal. See voting results.

AGL, 2020: the ACCR filed a shareholder resolution calling for AGL to close its coal-fired power stations earlier than currently planned. See media release. The constitutional amendment allowing opinion-based resolutions received 5.52% support and the contingent resolution on coal closures had 20% support on the proxies.

AGL, 2021: A resolution filed by the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR) requested that AGL set Paris-aligned interim emissions targets for its proposed demerged entities and it received a staggering 52.56% support on the proxies.

ANZ, 2003: employee Joy Buckland had a s249p statement from her colleagues at the Finance Sector Union when she ran for the board in 2003, but she only polled 4.66%.

ANZ, 2020: ACCR put up the twin resolution approach and received 8% support for the constitutional amendment and 28% for the resolution seeking additional transparency on how ANZ planned to meet its Paris commitments. See results.

ANZ, 2025: Faced 3 shareholders resolutions with the strongest on financing deforestation which received 22.7% support on the proxies.

BHP, 2017: 9% support for an ACCR resolution calling for BHP to review its public policy advocacy and industry association memberships. See results.

BHP, 2019: 29.58% support for an ACCR resolution calling for BHP to suspend its membership of industry associations campaigning against climate reform. See media release.

BHP, 2024:
resolutions were filed and then withdrawn after BHP made improvements to its climate action plan.

Coles Myer, 2002: ASA had a 249p statement in 2002 during the battles to eject Solomon Lew from the board.

Coles, 2019: ACCR, industry fund LUCRF, a US fund Mercy and a Catholic group from Columbia together fired a resolution around ethical sourcing of food which received 12.79% support including from the industry fund umbrella group IFM. See ACCR press release.

Coles, 2024:
faced two resolutions on Tasmanian salmon farming and disclosure with one of them receiving 40.5% support.

Commonwealth Bank (CBA), 2002: faced a shareholder resolution from the Wilderness Society in 2002 regarding logging. The resolution, which proposed that CBA stop investing in companies impacting old-growth forests, received significant support, with nearly 23% of shareholders voting in favour, as reported in this article from AFR and mentioned in this article from Crikey

Commonwealth Bank, 2004: Finance Sector Union resolution on restructuring in 2004 supported by 11.8% of shares voted despite s249p back up which was petitioned by 900 shareholders.

Commonwealth Bank, 2024: faced a Market Forces press release claiming a shareholder resolution was coming over failed climate commitments but it never materialised in these voting results.

David Jones, 2002: ASA resolution in 2002 calling for the chairman Dick Warburton not to be re-elected with s249p statement.

Downer EDI: constitutional amendment resolution focused on its mining services business pushing for a policy to manage emission within a 2 degrees temperature increase framework. See notice of meeting. Supported by 3.3% of voted stock.

Foster's, 2004
: s249p statement from ASA in 2004 after botched disposal of ALH and general poor performance.

G8 Education (GEM), 2025: received a shareholder resolution calling for the introduction of a paid parental leave policy which received a healthy 28.3% support.

Gunns Ltd (GNS), August 2003: members of the Wilderness Society, who held equity in Gunns, filed motions for an EGM that required the company to stop sourcing wood from old-growth forests via a constitutional amendment. It received very little voting support.

IAG, 2019: two Market Forces shareholder resolutions with 5.51% support for the constitutional amendment on opinion-based resolutions and 11.6% support for the contingent resolution on developing a plan to reduce fossil fuel exposures. See notice of meeting and voting results.

Lend Lease, 2001
: ASA 249p statement in 2001 complaining about poor performance.

National Australia Bank, 2004:
ASA resolution in 2004 calling for Geoff Tomlinson to be sacked with s249p statement delivered 39.7% support as shareholders vented their anger after the debacles such as Homeside and the foreign currency losses.

NAB, 2019:
3 resolutions in total. The Market Forces constitutional amendment for opinion based resolutions got 5.84%, its transition plan call got 12.9% and ACCR's opposition to climate lobbying received 15.07% support. See voting results.

NAB, 2020: two resolutions put up by Market Forces based on the standard constitutional amendment and contingent resolution model. Received 7% support for the constitutional amendment and 28% for the resolution seeking additional transparency on how NAB planned to meet its Paris commitments. See results.

Oilsearch (OSH), 2021:
what was described as a capital protection shareholder resolution put up by Market Forces and Friends of the Earth received 9.57% support.

Orica, 2001: ASA 249p in 2001 calling for board cull after years of under-performance until Malcolm Broomhead shook the place up.

Origin Energy, 2018:
ACCR filed 3 resolutions and received 46% for its anti-lobbying resolution and 11.83% support for stronger emissions targets. Also 7.73% support for resolution opposing NT fracking and promoting first nations people self-determination. See media release.

Origin Energy, 2019: a joint effort by ACCR and Market Forces comprising 6 different resolutions including a constitutional amendment allowing opinion-based resolutions and then 5 contingent resolutions spanning emissions, fracking, informed consent by Indigenous owners, Paris, closing coal and transition planning. See notice of meeting and voting results. Best result was 7.9% on Paris planning.

Origin Energy, 2020: they copped 5 separate shareholder resolutions with the strongest support 43.65% of voted shares in favour of a resolution lodged by ACCR, calling on the company to align its capital expenditure with the Paris Agreement's 1.5 deg goal.

Pacific Dunlop, 2000: ASA 249p in 2000 after years of under-performance.

Paperlinx, 2005: ASA s249p statement at 2005 AGM about poor performance which sparked a stinging rebuke from chairman David Meiklejohn who claimed it was misleading.

Qantas, 2019: 23.56% support for ACCR's resolution calling on Qantas to end its relationship with DFAT deporting refugees. See media release.

QBE, 2020: 4 different shareholder resolutions including two constitutional amendments pushing for opinion resolutions followed by an associated specific request. Market Forces and Australian Ethical teamed up for the first two with the contingent resolution being to develop a plan to reduce exposure to oil and gas. These received 12.68% and 13.16% support respectively. The second two were promoted by Wilderness Ltd and The Colong Foundation with the contingent resolution being to restrict support for developments in World Heritage areas. These received 4.27% and 6.73% support respectively. See notice of meeting and voting results.

QBE, 2026: has disclosed that shareholders have formally requisitioned 2 resolutions on climate risk under section 249N of the Corporations Act for consideration at the company's 2026 AGM in Sydney on 8 May 2026.

Rio Tinto, 2018: ACCR, working with a range of institutional investors, filed a resolution calling for Rio Tinto to disclose industry association payments since 2012 plus trigger points that would warrant an exit. See ACCR media release, plus addendum to the NoM and the voting results. There was 10.6% support for the constitutional change allowing opinion based resolutions and 18% for the public advocacy resolution.

Rio Tinto, 2020: ACCR filed and then withdrew a shareholder resolution on the funding of mining industry associations after Rio made some commitments about reviewing the memberships and disclosure.

Rio Tinto, 2021: The AFR reported as follows: "Rio Tinto has become the first Australian company to offer boardroom support for rebel shareholder resolutions on climate policy as Woodside Petroleum sought to strike a compromise over similar resolutions. Rio urged shareholders to support resolutions proposed by the Friends of the Earth subsidiary Market Forces and the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR), which asked the miner to aspire to emissions reduction targets that were aligned to the 2015 Paris climate accord and quit lobby groups whose advocacy was not Paris aligned."

Rio Tinto, 2025: Shareholders voted on a resolution requesting an independent review into the merits of collapsing the company's dual-listed structure (DLC), a proposal led by Palliser Capital. The resolution was defeated, with approximately 80.65% of votes against.

Santos, 2020: ACCR filed two resolutions with the Paris targets one supported by 43.4% of voted stock and another on climate related lobbying attracting 46.35%. See media release.

Santos, 2018: Market Forces filed two resolutions: a constitutional amendment allowing opinion-based resolutions (4% support) and a contingent resolution (9.82% support) calling for a report on fugitive methane emissions. See notice of meeting.

Santos 2021: the first joint venture resolution between ACCR and Chris Hohn's activist group in the UK focusing on the non-binding "say on climate" resolution which Santos eventually agreed to.

National Australia Bank, 2006: rejected resolution in 2006 from the FSU raising concerns about risks to reputation arising out of Global Outsourcing project but was supported by a s249p statement which did go out.

NAB, 2025:
a climate related resolution was withdrawn after its latest climate report was released.

North Ltd, 1999: a group of 122 North shareholders, supported by environmental groups like the Wilderness Society, forced the company to hold an EGM to address concerns regarding North's investment in the controversial Jabiluka Uranium Mine in the Northern Territory. Bob Brown spoke at the meeting in Melbourne.

St George, 2008: the FSU ran a s249p statement in 2008 for the St George EGM calling for opposition to the constitutional amendment and scheme of arrangement to merge with Westpac. In a matter of days they had received over 600 signatures from shareholders supporting the S249P but it never went anywhere as shareholders overwhelmingly approved the takeover.

Telstra, 2001: ASA s249p statement in 2001.

Telstra, 2008: the ACTU ran a s249p statement at the 2008 AGM raising concerns about shareholder risks associated with the National Broadband Network. Read media release.

Wesfarmers (WES), 1999: shareholders associated with the Australian Wilderness Society requisitioned an EGM to protest against its WA logging operations.

Westpac (WBC), 2023: shareholders voted on resolutions regarding climate change, specifically demanding that Westpac align its fossil fuel financing with the Paris Agreement, which received significant backing from 21.5% of voted stock.

Westpac (WBC), 2024: shareholders voted on resolutions regarding climate change, specifically demanding that Westpac align its fossil fuel financing with the Paris Agreement, which received significant backing from 34.2% of voted stock.

Woodside, 2011: a climate-related constitutional amendment was supported by 5.85% of voted stock. See notice of meeting and voting results.

Woodside, 2020: ACCR filed 3 resolutions achieving a historic majority of 50.16% for its resolution on Paris targets and 42.66% for a resolution on climate related lobbying. See media release.

Woodside, 2021: 4 resolutions were put up by ACCR including the normal constitutional amendment, plus 3 contingent resolutions on Paris targets, reputation advertising and . Just 4 weeks before the AGM, Woodside announced resolution 6 had been withdrawn, this was because they agreed to a non-binding vote on its climate policies.

Woodside, 2024: copped what was dubbed a world record protest vote when there was majority support for a shareholder resolution.

Woodside, 2025: dug in after the previous year's record protest, shunning questions prompting Market Forces to declare in a press release after the meeting: "Market Forces Campaigner Brett Morgan was ready to question Woodside about its recent final investment decision on the highly-polluting Louisiana liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility. Yet the company flat out refused to answer his and other shareholder questions, while rudely cutting off the microphone to other question-askers and ultimately cutting the meeting short."

Woolworths, 2012: GetUp members who were also Woolworths shareholders formally called for an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on 25 June 2012. The campaign aimed to force a shareholder vote on curbing pokies, specifically targeting Woolworths' ownership of thousands of poker machines, with the resulting EGM held on 22 November. See voting results showing just 2.53% support. The law was changed after this one so that 100 shareholders could no longer call an EGM. You needed support from 5% of issued capital to do that.

Woolworths, 2024: just like Coles the same year, faced two resolutions on Tasmanian salmon farming and disclosure with one of them receiving 30.4% support.

Woolworths, 2025: unlike Coles, they failed to move on the Tasmanian salmon farming issues so received 4 different shareholder resolutions also spanning beef and timber with the strongest support 34.17% in favour on the salmon sourcing disclosure resolution.

Companies which voluntarily put up a say on climate shareholder resolution

Orica, 2023: Orica presented a "Say on Climate" resolution at its December 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM), which received 92% support from investors.

Woodside, 2022: Voluntarily put up a say on climate resolutions in response to shareholder pressure, specifically a resolution filed by the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR) that was withdrawn following Woodside's commitment. The first voluntary vote took place at the AGM on May 19, 2022, where 49% of shareholders rejected the company's 2021 Climate Report.