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This information sheet (INFO 222) gives guidance to audit firms when considering how to improve and maintain audit quality. It covers: What is audit quality?Audit quality refers to matters that contribute to the likelihood that the auditor will:
This includes appropriately challenging key accounting estimates and treatments that can materially affect the reported financial position and results. This view is consistent with the objective of the audit (see paragraph 11 of Auditing Standard ASA 200 Overall objectives of the independent auditor and the conduct of an audit in accordance with Australian auditing standards). Why is audit quality important?The quality of financial reports is key to confident and informed markets and investors. The purpose of the independent audit is to provide confidence in the quality of financial reports. Improving audit quality and the consistency of audit execution is essential to maintaining confidence in the independent assurance they provide. If a company fails but its financial report did not properly show its declining financial position and results or going concern issues, it is reasonable for questions to be asked about the role played by the company directors and the auditor. Questions may also be asked if investment decisions are made using financial reports that do not reflect a company’s true financial position and performance. Directors are responsible for the quality of the financial report – which is supported by the quality of the audit – so it is in the interests of directors and audit committees to support the audit process. This includes ensuring that management produces quality financial information on a timely basis, and that the audit is appropriately resourced. We strongly caution against selecting auditors on the basis of cost rather than to ensure a quality audit. Auditors must obtain reasonable assurance that financial reports are free of material misstatement, apply sufficient scepticism to accounting estimates and treatments, and address any deficiencies detected so that investors and other users of financial reports can have confidence in the quality of the information they contain. Professional scepticismExercising professional scepticism is a critical part of conducting quality audits. The auditor must critically assess, with a questioning mind, the validity of the audit evidence obtained and management’s judgements on accounting estimates and treatments. Auditors should not:
What good looks like for audit firmsAuditors should deliver professional, high-quality audits through:
Initiatives to improve audit qualityFactors audit firms should consider to improve audit quality include:
Audit firm quality reviewsConducting effective firm quality reviews is key to maintaining and improving audit quality. The effectiveness of these reviews can be enhanced by considering the issues in Table 1. Table 1: Issues to consider for effective audit firm quality reviews
Where ASIC audit inspections or internal firm quality reviews identify that sufficient appropriate audit evidence has not been obtained, firms should remediate deficiencies by obtaining the evidence necessary to support the audit opinion. Partners and firms should not hesitate to revisit an audited entity to undertake additional work. Undertaking the work necessary to complete their audits for the reporting period in question will ensure that the audit report is supportable and that the market can be properly informed if any material misstatements are detected. Some partners may resist accepting and addressing findings from internal quality reviews and audit inspections. This could be due to concerns about loss of reputation, impact on performance evaluations and remuneration, possible liability or disciplinary actions, or additional audit costs. While it is important to have a good dialogue between partners and ASIC to ensure that our findings are appropriate, it is in the interests of the partners, firms, audited entities, directors and users of financial reports that findings are addressed. Firms should have processes in place to require partners to take remedial action. In significant cases where firms do not accept findings and implement initiatives to address them, we will consider issuing an audit deficiency report to the directors or audit committee of the audited entity, or taking other appropriate action. ASIC’s Chair has the ability to communicate findings to audit committees, directors and management of audited entities under section 127(2D) of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001. Regulatory Guide 260 Communicating findings from audit files to directors, audit committees or senior managers (RG 260) includes our criteria for communicating matters from our audit file reviews to audit committees and directors. Conducting an effective root cause analysisWe suggest that audit firms undertake, or continue to undertake, comprehensive and critical analysis to identify the underlying root causes of audit quality findings from ASIC’s audit inspections and the firm’s own quality reviews. This includes identifying and implementing actions to address those root causes. An effective internal quality review program is essential to this process, including identifying individual engagement issues and thematic findings across engagements. We suggest that firms continue to develop a culture where partners and staff:
Consideration should be given to:
We suggest that firms share, or continue to share, root causes and solutions with other firms in their networks and learn from those other firms. Firms that are not part of networks should consider sharing root causes and solutions with other similar firms locally. Effective root cause analysis is an important element of developing firm action plans to improve audit quality. Audit firm action plans to improve audit qualityBetter auditors focus on maintaining audit quality and appropriately balance this imperative with risks and commercial pressures. They recognise that quality is essential to the acceptance of a firm’s audit services and its reputation in the market. Firms should consider implementing or continuing action plans with particular focus on:
The initiatives in action plans should vary from firm to firm, taking into account the circumstances of each firm and its assessment of the underlying causes of any deficiencies in audit quality. Similarly, action plan initiatives may also vary between offices in a national firm or network. Plans that are too high level and general, without specific documented actions, responsibilities and timelines, are less likely to be effective. Initiatives that appear to have improved audit qualityInitiatives undertaken by some firms that appear to have a positive impact on aspects of audit quality include:
Table 2 provides some specific examples of other initiatives to improve and maintain audit quality that might appear in action plans. Table 2: Examples of possible other initiatives to improve audit quality
Audit quality indicatorsFirms should consider developing, or continuing to apply, measures to assist in monitoring and driving their implementation of initiatives to improve audit quality. Information Sheet 184 Audit transparency reports (INFO 184) discusses the use of audit quality indicators in the context of public audit firm transparency reports. The focus in the information sheet is on ensuring that any indicators are not used in a potentially misleading manner. Ongoing reviews of action plansWe encourage firms to critically review and evaluate their action plans regularly and update the plans with a focus on matters such as:
Reviewing audit firm staff structureAudit firms might consider reviewing their staff structure over time, to ensure the firm has access to resources with appropriate experience and expertise for audits involving increasingly complex client businesses, financial reporting and other requirements, audit judgements, and audit approaches. This includes the impact of technological change and the greater use of data analytics, robotics and machine learning systems. The traditional pyramid structure – with a small number of experienced partners and a relatively large number of junior staff – may need to change. Audit staff with greater experience and expertise may be required. Ensuring the necessary supply of auditors and other experts involves attracting people to the profession, upskilling them, and ensuring suitable levels of staff retention by audit firms. This requires the efforts of a number of parties, including firms, tertiary institutions and accounting bodies. With markets and companies becoming increasingly global, there may be benefits in firm networks being able to move auditors and experts between jurisdictions to meet demand. Where can I get more information?Important noticePlease note that this information sheet is a summary giving you basic information about a particular topic. It does not cover the whole of the relevant law regarding that topic, and it is not a substitute for professional advice. You should also note that because this information sheet avoids legal language wherever possible, it might include some generalisations about the application of the law. Some provisions of the law referred to have exceptions or important qualifications. In most cases, your particular circumstances must be taken into account when determining how the law applies to you. This is Information Sheet 222 (INFO 222), reissued in October 2022. |