remuneration report

While we sit around waiting for our long overdue annual report, we might like to give some thought to how we are going to vote when we eventually receive the resolutions for the AGM.

To ensure that every one of your shares is counted as a vote, even if you intend to attend the AGM, fill out and send in the proxy form specifying how you wish to vote on each resolution. This is your chance to tell the board what you think of their performance [or perhaps lack of performance].

First of all, the PPN auditors have to audit the Remuneration Report included in the report of the directors for the year ended 30th June, 2011. The directors of the company are responsible for the preparation and presentation of the Remuneration Report in accordance with s 300A of the Corporations Act 2001. It is the auditor's responsibility to express an opinion on the Remuneration Report based on their audit conducted in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards. I wonder whether that is the reason the Annual Report is currently 26 days overdue. Hmmmm!

There are a lot of interesting provisions in section 300A of the Corporations Act 2001 such the requirement for a discussion of board policy for determining, or in relation to, the nature and amount (or value, as appropriate) of remuneration of the key management personnel [S.300A(1)(a) refers] and the relationship between such policy and the company's performance [S.300A(1)(b) refers]

The link to Corporations Act 2001 section 300A is as follows:
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca2001172/s300a.html

CORPORATIONS ACT 2001 - SECT 300A
Annual directors' report--specific information to be provided by listed companies

(1) The directors' report for a financial year for a company must also include (in a separate and clearly identified section of the report):

a) discussion of board policy for determining, or in relation to, the nature and amount (or value, as appropriate) of remuneration of the key management personnel for:

(i) the company, if consolidated financial statements are not required; or

(ii) the consolidated entity, if consolidated financial statements are required; and

(b) discussion of the relationship between such policy and the company's performance; and

(ba) if an element of the remuneration of a member of the key management personnel for the company, or if consolidated financial statements are required, for the consolidated entity is dependent on the satisfaction of a performance condition:

(i) a detailed summary of the performance condition; and

(ii) an explanation of why the performance condition was chosen; and

(iii) a summary of the methods used in assessing whether the performance condition is satisfied and an explanation of why those methods were chosen; and

(iv) if the performance condition involves a comparison with factors external to the company:

(A) a summary of the factors to be used in making the comparison; and

(B) if any of the factors relates to the performance of another company, of 2 or more other companies or of an index in which the securities of a company or companies are included--the identity of that company, of each of those companies or of the index; and

(c) the prescribed details in relation to the remuneration of:

(i) if consolidated financial statements are required--each member of the key management personnel for the consolidated entity; or

(ii) if consolidated financial statements are not required--each member of the key management personnel for the company; and

(d) if an element of the remuneration of a person referred to in paragraph (c) consists of securities of a body and that element is not dependent on the satisfaction of a performance condition--an explanation of why that element of the remuneration is not dependent on the satisfaction of a performance condition; and

(e) for each person referred to in paragraph (c):

(i) an explanation of the relative proportions of those elements of the person's remuneration that are related to performance and those elements of the person's remuneration that are not; and

(ii) the value (worked out as at the time they are granted and in accordance with any applicable accounting standards) of options that are granted to the person during the year as part of their remuneration; and

(iii) the value (worked out as at the time they are exercised) of options that were granted to the person as part of their remuneration and that are exercised by the person during the year; and

(iv) if options granted to the person as part of their remuneration lapse during the financial year because a condition required for the options to vest was not satisfied--the value of those options (worked out as at the time the options lapse, but assuming that the condition was satisfied); and

(vi) the percentage of the value of the person's remuneration for the financial year that consists of options; and

(vii) if the person is employed by the company under a contract--the duration of the contract, the periods of notice required to terminate the contract and the termination payments provided for under the contract; and

(f) such other matters related to the policy or policies referred to in paragraph (a) as are prescribed by the regulations; and

(g) if:

(i) at the company's most recent AGM, comments were made on the remuneration report that was considered at that AGM; and

(ii) when a resolution that the remuneration report for the last financial year be adopted was put to the vote at the company's most recent AGM, at least 25% of the votes cast were against adoption of that report;

an explanation of the board's proposed action in response or, if the board does not propose any action, the board's reasons for inaction; and

(h) if a remuneration consultant made a remuneration recommendation in relation to any of the key management personnel for the company or, if consolidated financial statements are required, for the consolidated entity, for the financial year:

(i) the name of the consultant; and

(ii) a statement that the consultant made such a recommendation; and

(iii) if the consultant provided any other kind of advice to the company or entity for the financial year--a statement that the consultant provided that other kind or those other kinds of advice; and

(iv) the amount and nature of the consideration payable for the remuneration recommendation; and

(v) the amount and nature of the consideration payable for any other kind of advice referred to in subparagraph (iii); and

(vi) information about the arrangements the company made to ensure that the making of the remuneration recommendation would be free from undue influence by the member or members of the key management personnel to whom the recommendation relates; and

(vii) a statement about whether the board is satisfied that the remuneration recommendation was made free from undue influence by the member or members of the key management personnel to whom the recommendation relates; and

(viii) if the board is satisfied that the remuneration recommendation was made free from undue influence by the member or members of the key management personnel to whom the recommendation relates--the board's reasons for being satisfied of this.

(1AA) Without limiting paragraph (1)(b), the discussion under that paragraph of the company's performance must specifically deal with:

(a) the company's earnings; and

(b) the consequences of the company's performance on shareholder wealth;

in the financial year to which the report relates and in the previous 4 financial years.

(1AB) In determining, for the purposes of subsection (1AA), the consequences of the company's performance on shareholder wealth in a financial year, have regard to:

(a) dividends paid by the company to its shareholders during that year; and

(b) changes in the price at which shares in the company are traded between the beginning and the end of that year; and

(c) any return of capital by the company to its shareholders during that year that involves:

(i) the cancellation of shares in the company; and

(ii) a payment to the holders of those shares that exceeds the price at which shares in that class are being traded at the time when the shares are cancelled; and

(d) any other relevant matter.

(1A) The material referred to in subsection (1) must be included in the directors' report under the heading "Remuneration report".

(1C) Without limiting paragraph (1)(c), the regulations may:

(a) provide that the value of an element of remuneration is to be determined, for the purposes of this section, in a particular way or by reference to a particular standard; and

(b) provide that details to be given of an element of remuneration must relate to the remuneration provided in:

(i) the financial year to which the directors' report relates; and

(ii) the earlier financial years specified in the regulations.

(2) This section applies to any disclosing entity that is a company.

(3) This section applies despite anything in the company's constitution.

(4) For the purposes of this section, if:

(a) consolidated financial statements are required; and

(b) a person is a group executive who is a group executive of 2 or more entities within the consolidated entity;
the person's remuneration is taken to include all of the person's remuneration from those entities (regardless of the capacity in which the person received the remuneration).