Question

How does the International Accounting Standard Board (IASB) influences financial reporting in Australia?

Answer 1

IFRSs” is the collective term used to describe the authoritative pronouncements issued by the IASB. Technically, IFRSs comprise:

1. two series of standards: those explicitly called International Financial Reporting Standards and the older series of International Accounting Standards, and
2. two series of Interpretations: those issued by the former Standing Interpretations Committee (SIC) and those issued by the existing International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee (IFRIC) of the IASB.

Under a broad strategic direction from the FRC, the AASB has adopted IFRSs for application by entities reporting under the Corporations Act 2001 for annual reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2005. This is to ensure that general purpose financial statements, prepared by for-profit entities in accordance with AASB standards, will also be in accordance with IFRSs.

The AASB has a transaction neutrality policy, which means similar transactions and events should be accounted for in a similar manner by all types of entities, whether in the for-profit sector, the not-for-profit private sector, or the public sector – unless there is a sound reason to be different in particular circumstances. The AASB considers the specific needs of not-for-profit entities in the private and public sectors when preparing new and revised IFRSs for adoption in Australia.