Our Mission
The mission of the Australasian Investor Relations Association is to foster best practice and enhance ethical and professional standards in investor relations.
The Association is helping members achieve best practice by issuing standards on key issues such as disclosure of material or price sensitive information, and through education and training initiatives. In particular, the Association has published “Best Practice Investor Relations: Guidelines for Australasian Listed Entities” which is available on request or on the Association’s website.
The following Code of Conduct (the Code) highlights the Association’s commitment to the highest ethical standards within the profession.
Code of Conduct
The Code provides that all Investor Relations practitioners and others responsible for managing listed corporates relationships with debt and equity investors will:
- Maintain the highest standards of professional conduct and ethical behavior;
- Observe the rule and spirit of the law and comply with the ethical and technical requirements of any relevant regulatory or professional body;
- Discharge all responsibilities with diligence, honesty and integrity;
- Maintain appropriate levels of professional awareness and competence;
- Promote transparency when communicating material financial and non-financial matters;
- Exercise independent judgment in the execution of professional activities and in doing so meet all legal requirements and follow the spirit of fair disclosure to protect the rights of all shareholders and other stakeholders;
- Provide analysts institutional and individual investors and media fair access to corporate information;
- Protect confidential information acquired in the course of work;
- Not use confidential information acquired in the normal course of business for personal advantage, nor for the advantage of others;
- Report, as soon as the member becomes aware of it, any non-disclosure or inappropriate disclosure of material information through the appropriate authority within his/her organization;
- Recognize that the integrity and credibility of the capital markets is based on complete, timely and non-selective disclosure of financial and non-financial corporate information and, work to ensure that all communicates are delivered on a timely and non-selective basis.
Compliance
AIRA urges compliance with this code of conduct by positively communicating the ideals of professional ethics and practice rather than imposing sanctions.
However, AIRA members who are sanctioned by regulatory agencies or judicial bodies for violating laws or regulations, may have their membership terminated by the AIRA Board of Directors under the provisions of the AIRA Constitution.
Members are encouraged to follow their own organisation’s internal policies in relation to issues associated with disclosure. However, should you feel it necessary to seek further information please feel free to contact a member of the AIRA Board.