FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 6 2017

Contact: Jessie Cato, National Coordinator

Jessie.Cato@victas.uca.org.au 0499 479 293

Abundant Resources, Absent Data: Publish What You Pay Australia Report on ASX listed mining,
oil and gas companies operating on the African Continent

Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Australia today released a ground-breaking report on public data
availability of Australian extractive industries companies operating in Africa. The report Abundant
Resources, Absent Data: Measuring the Openness of Australian Listed Mining, Oil and Gas
Companies on the African Continent found over 717 ASX listed extractives companies in 106
countries. The African continent had the highest regional concentration of ASX listed companies with
139 companies with 312 projects in 34 African nations. This equates to almost 1 in 5 ASX listed
extractives companies (19.3%) being present on over 60% of the African continent making Australia
the number one country present in the region by number of mining, oil and gas companies.

Australias global position as a leader in mining, oil and gas activities should be matched by
reporting standards that also make us a leader in the fight against corruption and mismanagement in
the extractive sector, said PWYP Australia National Coordinator Jessie Cato. A global transparency
standard already exists, providing Australia with a clear path forward to step up.

Abundant Resources, Absent Data shows what a mandatory disclosure reporting regime for ASX
listed extractive companies would capture on the African continent. Mandatory disclosure reporting
is legislation that requires listed or large unlisted mining, oil and gas companies to report all their
payments to governments related to extraction on a country-by-country and project-by-project
basis. These laws are already in effect in Canada, Norway, and the European Union.

Earlier this year, the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) Resource Governance Index
highlighted Australias lack of data and that Australian companies report with much less
transparency than our nearest country counterparts. Australias data problem is blatantly obvious
when trying to observe our mining, oil or gas activities domestically or abroad. We couldnt verify a
lot of the data we found, and had to difficulty accessing data from companies, as well as the use of
ASX site data due to restrictions, which inhibits comparisons with other leading mining countries
such as the UK and Canada,, said Ms Cato.

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Increasing transparency in Australia through the introduction of a mandatory disclosure requirement
would resolve the data deficit in which Australian companies and their shareholders operate.
Mandatory disclosure would also positively impact countries where Australian companies are
present. As Tafadzwa Kuvheya, the National Coordinator of PWYP South Africa explains; Australia
has a large number of projects in this country and we support PWYP Australia in their push for
mandatory disclosure. There is a need for information on payments made by the Australian
companies to be made public so that South African citizens can also use it to hold the companies and
government to account. South Africa had the highest number of projects by ASX listed companies
found by PWYP Australia with in every 10 projects located there.

It is high time Australia joins the league of countries that have committed to mandatory disclosure
legislation. Openness of the Australian extractive sector is crucial to the well-being of citizens in
Africa and beyond," said Elisa Peter, Executive Director, Publish What You Pay.

To learn more about Abundant Resources, Absent Data: Measuring the Openness if Australian Listed
Mining, Oil and Gas Companies on the African Continent or to download a digital copy of the report
or the data set used, please go to http://www.publishwhatyoupay.org/pwyp-resources/abundant-
resources-absent-data

Notes to editors:
The NRGI RGI Australia results can be found here http://www.resourcecontracts.org/countries/au
Details on the EU law http://www.publishwhatyoupay.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/PWYP-fact-sheet-on-EU-Accounting-and-
Transparency-Directives.pdf
Details on the Canadian law http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/mining-materials/estma/18184

About Publish What You Pay Australia

Publish What You Pay Australia is a coalition of humanitarian, faith-based, environmental, anti-corruption, research and union
organisations campaigning for greater transparency and accountability in the extractive industries. PWYP Australia works with the global
Publish What You Pay coalition, a network of over 700 member organisations in more than 42 countries around the world, united in their
call for an open and accountable extractive sector, so that oil, gas and mining revenues improve the lives of women, men and youth in
resource-rich countries, including through advocacy for the mandatory disclosure of all payments made between extractive industry
companies and governments on a country-by-country and project-by-project basis.

The current members of Publish What You Pay Australia are: Action Aid Australia, Aid Watch, Australian Conservation Foundation ,
Australian Council for International Development, A Billion Little Stones, Burma Campaign Australia, Caritas Australia, Catholic Mission,
ChildFund Australia, Columban Mission Institute, Conservation Council of Western Australia, CFMEU Mining and Energy, CAER
Corporate Analysis. Enhanced Responsibility, Economists at Large, Friends of the Earth Australia, Global Poverty Project, Greenpeace
Australia Pacific, Human Rights Law Centre, Jubilee Australia, Mineral Policy Institute, Oaktree Foundation, Oxfam Australia, Search
Foundation, SJ Around The Bay, Tear Australia, Transparency International Australia, Union Aid Abroad APHEDA, Uniting Church in
Australia Synod of Victoria and Tasmania and World Vision Australia.