10 important themes that hit for corporate affairs in 2025

What a year for corporate affairs!

2025 was the year Australian businesses truly moved from reacting to immediate crises to proactively managing long-term strategic risks. For those of us in Comms, PR, and Corporate Affairs, the agenda was dominated by seismic shifts: the first wave of mandatory climate reporting, deep-seated cultural reform, and the urgent need to build digital trust in an age of 'shadow AI' and scam fatigue.

Hot on the heels of our landmark State of Australian Corporate Affairs report, we've compiled 10 stories that impacted our roles in 2025. Each is a case study in governance, transparency, and reputation management.

1. The AI Integration Imperative: Early adopters report quadrupled productivity

Companies that successfully implemented Artificial Intelligence solutions gained a significant competitive edge, turning AI from a technical concern into a core communications and growth story.

2. Mandatory climate reporting kicks off: Focus shifts to supply chain transparency

The official start of mandatory climate disclosures for large companies elevated ESG from a "nice-to-have" to a high-stakes, legally-enforced area of corporate affairs risk and reporting.

3. PwC's Turnaround: A masterclass in ethical crisis management and reform

After months of deep ethical and structural changes, the professional services firm's transparent reporting and commitment to reform became a crucial case study in rebuilding corporate trust.

4. "Dopamine Design" over brand rigidity: Entertainment trumps consistency in comms

Brands found success by "unlocking the handcuffs" and prioritising entertaining, short-form video content over traditional, overly-cautious corporate messaging to capture audience attention.

5. Board oversight tightens on culture: Directors held accountable for conduct risk

Investor activism and regulatory scrutiny following 2024's major scandals meant boards spent more time explicitly governing corporate culture, impacting executive communications and staff engagement.

6. The great data trust deficit: Scam fatigue drives demand for verified messaging

Increased data breaches and sophisticated scams forced businesses to urgently adopt verified sender technology and focus all communications on security and customer data protection to rebuild faith.

7. Regulatory crackdown on super funds: ASIC's record year for financial services penalties

The corporate watchdog achieved an unprecedented number of civil penalties, signalling a zero-tolerance approach to misconduct and placing governance communications under the microscope.

8. Golden run for private companies: Pallion's revenue skyrocket puts the private sector on the map

A precious metals business jumped to the top of IBISWorld's private company list with 94.6% revenue growth, reminding communicators that not all major Australian success stories are ASX-listed.

9. The 'Care Economy' ascends: Aged care and health sector growth dominates GDP

Government funding and M&A activity boosted the aged care and health sectors, making their communications around staffing, service quality, and social value a major corporate affairs focus.

10. Beyond gender: The broadening of diversity reporting on Australian boards

Stakeholder pressure pushed boards to look past standard gender metrics toward broader forms of diversity (e.g. cultural background, First Nations representation), requiring sensitive and comprehensive internal and external comms strategies.

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To dive deeper into the trends that defined this year in communications and media, visit the Medianet Reports Hub! You can download our most recent reports, including the Australian State of Corporate Affairs and the Australian Media Landscape Report, to get actionable data for your 2026 strategy.