A defensible way to say “no material climate risk.”
The Group 3 No-Material-Risk File helps you test, evidence and write the short climate statement allowed by section 296B(1), in a form your board can approve and your auditor can follow.
Every rule is cited to primary sources: the Corporations Act 2001, ASIC Regulatory Guide 280, AASB S2 and ASSA 5010.
These are the sources the kit cites. Group 3 Kit is independent and not endorsed by any regulator or standard-setter.
Shorter to lodge. Not lighter to support.
Group 3 reporting applies to financial years starting on or after 1 July 2027 (s1707B(1)(c)). If your entity has no material climate-related financial risks and no material climate-related financial opportunities, s296B(1) lets you lodge a statement saying so, with an explanation of how you reached that view, instead of full climate disclosures.
That conclusion still carries the same obligations as a full report:
- Materiality must be worked out in accordance with AASB S2.s296B(6); RG 280.75
- Written sustainability records must back up the assessment and be kept for 7 years.s286A; RG 280.49–280.53, 280.76
- Directors make a declaration under a board resolution.s296A(6)–(7); s1707C
- In Year 1 your auditor reviews the s296B statement (limited assurance).ASSA 5010 para 10(a)(iv)
- The assessment is repeated every year.RG 280.76
Of 40 sustainability reports ASIC reviewed, two said they had no climate-related risks or opportunities. The auditors of both added an emphasis of matter on that judgement.
ASIC REP 839 (September 2026), reviewing reports for years ending 31 December 2025. ASIC said it intends to review records in this area in future.Official guidance on preparing and assuring a s296B statement hasn’t been issued yet. Treasury consulted on it from August to October 2026. Until it arrives, the sensible course is to document your reasoning thoroughly.
Precision, defensibility, and a clear evidence trail.
Precision
Every rule is tied to a pinpoint reference: a section of the Act, a paragraph of RG 280, AASB S2 or ASSA 5010. Each claim was checked against the source text, and the open questions in the law are listed separately so nothing uncertain is presented as settled.
Defensibility
The Materiality Workbook follows AASB S2: physical and transition risks, opportunities, time horizons, and combined and indirect effects. It shows INCOMPLETE until the work is done, so an empty file can’t look like a clean result. A judgements log records the reasoning behind each call.
An evidence trail
An Evidence Index gives every record an ID and links it to the part of the statement it supports. That is the pack you agree with your auditor early, ahead of the Year 1 review.
Inside the file
Excel workbooks, Word templates and a plain-English PDF guide, written for CFOs, company secretaries and boards.
Group 3 Tester
About 15 questions. It tells you whether you must report, whether s296B is available, your first Group 3 year, an indicative lodgement date, which directors’ declaration applies, the assurance level and a five-year timeline. A switch shows the Budget threshold proposal, labelled proposed, not law.
Materiality Workbook
Sites and assets, a transition-risk checklist, risk and opportunity registers, time horizons, combined and indirect effects, a judgements log, a log of climate requests from customers, lenders and insurers, the Evidence Index, an annual calendar and reassessment triggers.
Four statement templates
Draft s296B statements with the “how we determined this” explanation, for professional services, light manufacturing, wholesale and distribution, and property and hospitality. Every fact and amount is a highlighted placeholder.
The Guide
A plain-English walk-through of Group 3 status, s296B eligibility, what “material” means under AASB S2, records, the directors’ declaration, assurance, pending reforms and common pitfalls, with a sources table and a glossary.
Board documents
A board or audit and risk committee paper with challenge questions for directors, a directors’ resolution template, and notes on which declaration form applies, with two drafting options for your adviser to review.
Source verification log
Each claim in the kit checked against its source with a pinpoint, the corrections made, and the items still uncertain in the law or guidance. A record of how the kit itself was checked.
A fraction of what Treasury estimated for full disclosure.
Treasury modelled what full climate reporting would cost a median Group 3 company in its first year. The kit is built for companies whose assessment supports the short s296B route instead.
Modelled first-year cost for a median Group 3 company reporting in full, including about A$15,900 for limited assurance.
One-off price for the kit. Your auditor’s fees still apply, and the kit doesn’t replace professional advice.
Source: Treasury, Climate-related financial disclosure: policy impact analysis (January 2024), p. 25, Table 10. This is Treasury’s modelled estimate, not a quote, and your costs will vary.
Built for boards and CFOs.
- Entities that must prepare a Chapter 2M annual financial report and meet 2 of 3 tests: consolidated revenue of A$50m or more, consolidated gross assets of A$25m or more, 100 or more employees (s292A(3)).
- CFOs, financial controllers and company secretaries who expect to find no material climate risks or opportunities and want to test and document that properly.
- Directors and audit and risk committees who will approve the conclusion.
- Accounting and advisory firms supporting Group 3 clients.
Where s296B doesn’t apply.
- Entities meeting 2 of: A$200m revenue, A$500m gross assets, 250 employees (s296B(2)).
- NGER-registered corporations, or those required to apply for NGER registration (s296B(4)).
- Registered schemes, RSEs and retail CCIVs with assets of A$5bn or more (s296B(5)).
- Any entity whose assessment finds a material climate risk or opportunity. These entities need full AASB S2 disclosures, which this kit doesn’t cover.
From first test to lodgement.
Confirm Group 3 status
Run the Tester on forecasts for your first Group 3 year, then again on actual figures at year end. Thresholds are tested at the end of the year (RG 280.34).
Assess under AASB S2
Work through the Materiality Workbook tab by tab. Don’t draw a conclusion while it shows INCOMPLETE or REVIEW.
Agree the evidence early
Take the Evidence Index to your auditor before year end, ahead of the Year 1 review.
Draft the statement
Start from the closest industry template and replace every placeholder with your own facts and reasoning.
Take it to the board
Table the board paper and resolution, sign the declaration, and lodge with the financial report (RG 280.95).
Keep and repeat
Keep records for 7 years (s286A) and redo the assessment each year (RG 280.76).
Choose your edition.
One-off payment in Australian dollars. No GST is charged (seller not registered for GST). Secure checkout by Stripe. Files are emailed to you within one business day.
For one entity or one consolidated group.
- Group 3 Tester
- Materiality Workbook, with the annual calendar
- Four industry statement templates
- 12 months of updated files if the law or official guidance changes
For up to 3 related entities in the same group.
- Everything in Essentials
- The 18-page Guide
- Board or committee paper template
- Directors’ resolution template
- Directors’ declaration notes
- Source verification log
- 12 months of updated files if the law or official guidance changes
For accounting and advisory firms.
- The complete Board Edition
- Use with your own clients for 12 months
- Updated files during the licence year
- Terms agreed with your firm by email
General information only. This is not legal, accounting or assurance advice. The kit and this website don’t take account of your circumstances. Whether your entity has no material climate-related risks or opportunities depends on your own facts and the judgement of your directors. Confirm your approach with your auditor or adviser before relying on it. Using the kit doesn’t guarantee compliance or any audit outcome.
The 2026–27 Budget proposal to lift the thresholds to A$100m revenue and A$50m gross assets is proposed, not law. Law and sources last verified 22 October 2026.
Before you buy.
Is this professional advice?
No. It is general information and a structured set of tools for doing and documenting your own assessment. Confirm your approach with your auditor or adviser.
Will our auditor accept it?
We can’t promise that. Your auditor decides what evidence they need. The kit is designed to produce organised, well-referenced records, and it recommends agreeing the evidence pack with your auditor early. In your first Group 3 year the s296B statement is subject to a review (limited assurance) under ASSA 5010.
Does the short statement remove assurance, the declaration or record-keeping?
No. Using s296B doesn’t remove those duties. You still need a directors’ declaration under a resolution, auditor assurance, and written records kept for 7 years.
What if our assessment finds a material risk or opportunity?
Then the s296B(1) statement isn’t available and you’ll need full AASB S2 disclosures, which this kit doesn’t cover. The work in the Materiality Workbook is still a useful starting point.
What about the Budget proposal to raise the thresholds?
The 2026–27 Budget announced higher thresholds of A$100m revenue and A$50m gross assets, with employees unchanged at 100. Treasury released a draft regulation for consultation on 19 October 2026 proposing that the higher thresholds apply from financial years starting on or after 1 July 2027 (Treasury consultation c2026-811281; exposure draft, Sch 2). It is a draft and not yet law. Consultation closes 2 November 2026 and the final version may differ. Plan on current law. The tester lets you see both. If the law or official guidance changes within 12 months of your purchase in a way that affects the kit, we’ll email you updated files.
How is it delivered, and in what formats?
By email from ransomdesignsau@mail.grokbot.com within one business day of payment, as a zip of Excel, Word and PDF files. They work in Microsoft Excel and Word and in compatible programs.
What is the refund policy?
If the files are faulty, not as described, or don’t arrive, we’ll fix, replace or refund them. Because the files are digital, we don’t usually refund a change of mind. Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law aren’t affected. See the terms.
Can we pay by invoice?
Yes. Email ransomdesignsau@mail.grokbot.com with your entity name and the edition you want.
Start with the tester
Free and private: nothing you enter leaves your browser. It shows whether you’re likely to be in Group 3, when your first year starts, and whether s296B could be available.
Run the free testerPut the reasoning on the record.
A structured assessment, cited to primary sources, ready for your board and your auditor’s review.