SingTel continues to lead the market with our policies and initiatives in corporate governance. We have also established close working relationships with governments and are known for our responsiveness to industry requirements. This is attested to by the number of awards and accolades we have received in this area.
The listing of SingTel’s shares on the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX) and the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) subjects SingTel to two sets of listing rules and the requirement to report against two sets of corporate governance principles and recommendations. Where one exchange has more stringent requirements, SingTel will seek to observe the more stringent of the two.
In developing and reviewing our corporate governance policies and practices, SingTel seeks to adopt a balanced approach by observing the spirit, and not just the letter, of the SGX and ASX corporate governance principles, taking into account its evolving needs as well as local and international developments.
In Singapore, we have policies in place to ensure that our operations are run with integrity. SingTel has zero tolerance for fraud and our whistleblower policy provides employees with an open channel to encourage the reporting of any improper conduct.
Our procurement policy aims to award tenders fairly based on merit. The procurement manual sets out the Ethics Policy on Procurement Practices. Senior staff members are randomly put on a roster to verify tender bids, thus ensuring an impartial process.
All our employees are bound by clear principles and standards as set out in our staff manual and code of conduct to carry out their daily tasks.
Beyond regulatory compliance, we take pride in upholding a high standard of business ethics by our voluntary adoption of industry conduct codes and firm adherence to company policies that safeguard the interests and privacy of our customers.
For example, we adopt the Voluntary Code for Self-regulation of Mobile Content (click here) which SingTel jointly developed with the other mobile operators in Singapore. The Mobile Content Code was established to protect minors from being exposed to undesirable mobile content. It provides guidelines on prohibited content, images, games and chat services, as well as the handling of undesirable content from third party content providers, subscriber-to-subscriber communication and the Internet. Empowered with an enforcement mechanism within the Mobile Content Code, the mobile operators formed a mobile content Compliance Review Committee, together with MDA, to review cases of non-compliance.
We respect our customers’ privacy and they are empowered with the choice to unsubscribe to all promotional messages. In compliance with the Spam Control Act, the promotional messages sent by us are labeled as advertisements and we maintain an active list of customers who have indicated their wish to be unsubscribed from all our mailing lists.
In Australia, Optus meets all of its obligations under the Privacy Act and Privacy Provisions of the Telecommunications Act, as well as the Spam Act. We also abide by the Do Not Call Register, which protects consumers from unsolicited marketing calls.
Optus has removed barriers to access to our products and services by customers, potential customers and staff, in accordance with the Disability Action Plan that was developed in consultation with representatives of disability organisations. For example, disability equipment is available to all fixed line residential customers. In addition, Optus continues to work with The Consumer Liaison Forum, which was established in 1995 to better understand key consumer issues.
