Law Council of Australia

Business Law Section

AGMs Using Technology Joint Guidance

20 June 2025

This guide is a joint publication by the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD), the Australasian Investor Relations Association (AIRA), the Business Law Section of the Law Council of Australia (BLS) and the Governance Institute of Australia (GIA).1

It reflects key learnings from the first three years since permanent changes to the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (Corporations Act) took effect enabling the use of technology to hold annual general meetings (AGMs) and other meetings. It also includes guidance to address areas of concern raised as part of the Independent Statutory Review of the effectiveness of the permanent reforms (Review).

While some companies have been using webcasts for at least 15 years in connection with their AGMs, the use of technology at AGMs became almost universal during COVID-19, when physical meetings were not permitted and has remained a feature of most AGMs and other company meetings since pandemic-related restrictions ended.

This guide is not prescriptive and does not suggest which type of format companies should use to hold meetings. It sets out suggested practices companies may want to adopt when using technology to hold AGMs and other meetings, recognising there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. While primarily directed at publicly listed companies, unlisted companies and not-for-profits (NFPs) may find the suggestions in this guide useful when using technology to hold meetings. The suggestions may need to be adapted to suit the circumstances of an individual company.

The AICD, AIRA, BLS and GIA have consulted a number of key stakeholders in preparing this guide, including their members, directors, regulators, investor relations professionals, legal advisers, company secretaries, investors, registries, technology providers and others. Their feedback and suggestions have informed its contents.

1 This guide also serves as an update to earlier joint guidance released by AICD, AIRA, BLS and GIA in March 2022 when the permanent reforms
first took effect. See Electronic governance reforms: Meetings and documents

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Last Updated on 20/06/2025

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