Moral Virtue and Corporate Law

The scholarly work of John Farrar has demonstrated two major areas of concentration: the relationship of law and morality, and the analysis and development of corporate responsibility and corporate governance. This work has moved way beyond the historic debate of corporate responsibility as against individual responsibility of those engaged in the process of corporate governance. The twenty-first century has seen a rise in the scope of obligations imposed on corporations and their sources. The concept of stakeholder has been extended as has the range of interests and values to be managed. This chapter examines these issues in the context of two Australian situations: the governance effects of the destruction of an historic sacred site by Rio Tinto; and the reaction of the Australian government to the modern phenomenon of corporate slavery. In each case there are cross-border implications: the significance of the size and nature of Rio Tinto, and the extent to which Australia is only one of many governments seeking to remedy the situation by legislation and regulation. The outcomes are not finally resolved.