2025 Wrap up

This year has reinforced that governance is a shared national strength, empowering people and organisations to make decisions with clarity, integrity and foresight.

Our community has demonstrated that strength time and time again.

We’ve seen significant corporate governance developments and continued to be a strong voice in national policy conversations, making formal submissions to ASIC, Treasury, APRA, the Productivity Commission, and the Attorney-General’s Department on everything from regulatory simplification and whistleblower protections to modern slavery reform and the evolving role of data and digital technology.

We updated guidance on effective board minutes and the use of AI, and worked with the Law Council of Australia and others to provide updated guidance on AGMs using technology.

These practical tools strengthen how governance professionals do their work every day.

One of the highlights of 2025 has been the continued evolution of our annual Ethics Index, now in its 10th year.

What began as a conversation-starter has become a nationally recognised benchmark of ethical perception across Australian life.

This year’s findings were particularly revealing, the importance Australians place on ethics has jumped to an all-time high, driven by Gen Z and baby boomers in a surprising agreement.

Yet the ethics score itself remained unchanged, widening what we call the “ethics expectation deficit.”

In reality, we’re talking about a trust deficit, this matters enormously as we navigate the adoption of emerging technologies like AI.

Across all generations, Australians don’t yet trust that AI will be used ethically.

Gen Z, the most exposed to changes in the future of work, shares trust concerns with baby boomers thinking about their grandchildren’s futures. This trust can only be rebuilt through ethical oversight of how technology is deployed.

This year we also launched our new Sustainability Reporting short course, equipping governance professionals with the expertise to navigate ESG disclosure and climate reporting with confidence.

We’ve established an AI Governance Expert Advisory Panel, bringing together leaders from business, legal and academic communities to shape practical responses to ethical challenges and build governance frameworks fit for the future.

We also launched our new vodcast, Another Good Decision, exploring the big questions shaping governance, risk and leadership today.

Each episode features leading thinkers and practitioners sharing how organisations can make smarter, future-ready decisions. If you haven’t had a chance to watch yet, we’ve put together a highlight reel of some of our favourite moments.

We’ve welcomed hundreds of new members, expanding the networks and partnerships that sustain our community.

To all our members, thank you. Your expertise, your questions, and your commitment to excellence in governance drive everything we do. You are the reason this community continues to strengthen and evolve.

As we look to 2026, I’m genuinely excited about what lies ahead and look forward to sharing our five-year strategy in the new year.

Addressing the challenges requires exactly what this community does best, navigating complexity with integrity, purpose and confidence.

Governance is a dynamic capability, and you demonstrate it every day.

Thank you for your engagement, your commitment to good governance, and your participation in building a more trusted, accountable Australia. I am especially excited to see many of you at the Governance and Risk Management Forums next year. For those who wish to register early, you can do so here.

I wish you a restful break and look forward to continuing our work together in what promises to be another exciting year.

Katrina Horrobin 

Chief Executive Officer
Governance Institute of Australia