Abstract:
The paper takes examples from two decades of toxic risk management in Australia in order
to examine the challenges that the conditions of the 'risk society' pose for the chemicals
industry in this country. These issues for corporate governance are set against a shift in
political discourse in the direction of the limiting of the state, co-governance between state
and industry, and new community involvements and responsibilities. The paper describes
new social movements and alliances influencing corporate structures and processes for
decision making in Australia. The case examples lead to conclusions concerning the
fundamental innovations in the organizational design of regulatory bodies and corporations
that are required if progress is to be made towards sustain ability and the re-establishment
of public trust. The findings of this paper are symptomatic of the more general challenges
that the 'risk society' poses for the mainstream political programmes and their frameworks
for regulation, for corporate architecture and for the relationships between governments,
corporations and the community.
