Senior management interviews to assess the

selected Australian media, a policy review and review of stakeholder feedback.
Senior management interviews to assess the effectiveness of policy, procedures and –
frameworks in place to manage corporate responsibility within the organisation.
A review of the processes used by Woolworths to engage with its stakeholders and the –
outcomes of the external and internal stakeholder engagement undertaken during the
reporting period in order to understand the nature of material issues raised by stakeholders.
A review of Woolworths’ key corporate responsibility strategies, policies, objectives, –
management systems, measurement and reporting procedures, background
documentation and data collection and reporting procedures.
Interviews with key staff responsible for preparing the Report to ascertain their views, –
understanding and response to material corporate responsibility issues faced by the
business.
Interviews with key personnel responsible for collating and writing various parts of the –
Report in order to substantiate the veracity of selected claims.
A review of the Report for any significant anomalies, particularly in relation to significant –
claims as well as trends in data.
Examination of the aggregation and/or derivation of, and underlying evidence for 134 –
selected data points and statements made in the Report and evaluation of the data and
statements against Woolworths’ internal data protocols and the GRI G3 Principles of Quality.
Collecting and evaluating evidence to support the assurance work undertaken. –
A GRI G3 Application Level Check. –
Our Independence
Net Balance was not responsible for preparation of any part of the Report. The assurance
team’s independence was ensured by selecting a team that had no other involvement with
Woolworths during the reporting period that could impair the team’s independence or
objectivity. Net Balance also completed the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G3 application
level check for the 2010 Report and verification of Woolworths’ reporting data in relation to
the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) Act 2007. These projects were deemed
complementary to the assurance function and therefore were deemed not to impact upon
the team’s independence or objectivity.
69 Corporate Responsibility Report 2010

Our Competency
The Woolworths’ assurance engagement was carried out by an experienced team of
professionals led by a Lead Certified Sustainability Assurance Practitioner (Lead CSAP), accredited
by the International Register of Certified Auditors UK (IRCA UK). The project included specialists
with expertise in environmental, social and economic performance measurement across a
range of industry sectors. Net Balance is a global leader in the use of Accountability’s AA1000AS,
having undertaken over 80 assurance engagements in Australia over the past three years.