Update from the CPA Australia Board 3 April 2025

President’s message

I was delighted to join CEO Chris Freeland AM last month for the opening of our new office in Hong Kong and to help kick-start the 70th anniversary celebrations of CPA Australia’s presence in Hong Kong. This is a significant milestone. In celebrating it, we acknowledge and thank all our members who have helped establish the organisation in Hong Kong and grow our global presence. I extend my most sincere gratitude and thanks to the Divisional Councillors, Honorary Advisers, Committee members, and all CPA Australia members who have contributed to our success in Hong Kong.

I’m also excited to announce the dates for CPA Congress 2025. The worldwide virtual experience, which has attracted more than 50,000 delegates over the past five years, will be live and interactive on Friday 17 October, with OnDemand available until 5 December. In addition, following the success of last year’s in-person CPA Congress, delegates can join us this year for in-person experiences on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia from 14-16 October and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday 23 October. Find out more here.

 

16th Annual Asia-Pacific Small Business Survey Results

CPA Australia proudly launched the results of our 16th annual Asia-Pacific Small Business survey at a significant event in Parliament House in Canberra, alongside events in Ho Chi Minh City and Kuala Lumpur. The survey covers 11 diverse markets across Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific and serves as an important resource for small businesses in the region. 

This survey captures critical insights into business sentiment, performance, and expectations, highlighting significant trends over time across various markets. By doing so, it plays a vital role in guiding the decision-making processes of small business owners, advisers, and policymakers, ultimately fostering a more informed and prosperous business environment.

More than 4,200 businesses provided responses for this survey that identifies the key drivers of high growth as investment in technology, innovation and management capabilities. Survey results for other markets will be released progressively over the next few weeks. Full survey results are available on the website.

 

Australian Federal Budget coverage 

CPA Australia’s policy experts provided widespread coverage of the Australian Federal Budget that was handed down last week, with detailed analysis of the key announcements, including a post-budget webinar and podcast, a media release, a video recap across our social media channels and articles in Tax News, In The Black and CPA Update. View our full coverage on the dedicated Federal Budget webpage.

 

Representing the professional standards, ethics and values of CPA Australia 

CPA Australia senior executives recently appeared before the Parliamentary Joint Committee (PJC) Inquiry into Corporations and Financial Services and tabled our 2023 Annual Professional Standards Report as provided to the Professional Standards Councils. 

Detailed information about CPA Australia’s disciplinary processes for members and our education requirements on ethics and professional standards was provided to the committee, as well as our view that regulatory responses need to be properly considered and designed through consultation with the profession. We continue to actively engage with government and other stakeholders on key regulatory reforms including tax practitioner regulation, Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter-Terrorism Financing (CTF), ethics, professional standards, audit quality and financial advice. 

 

2024 Integrated Report

The Board has approved CPA Australia’s 2024 Integrated Report that will be available to members via our website in mid-April.

The Integrated Report sets out CPA Australia’s financial statements for the calendar year from 1 January to 31 December 2024, and includes comprehensive information on CPA Australia’s performance, including results from the Member Engagement survey.

We are incredibly proud to present this year’s report, which reflects our dedication to continuous improvement. This edition showcases CPA Australia's rich history and highlights our significant technology investments aimed at benefiting our members. With an enhanced photographic approach and comprehensive disclosures on IFRS S1 General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability-related Financial Information and IFRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures, we are excited to demonstrate our commitment to transparency and innovation as we embark on a journey of growth and excellence together. We’ve also included a ‘Consolidated entity disclosure statement’ to meet the requirements of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Making Multinationals Pay Their Fair Share – Integrity and Transparency) Act 2024 (Amendments).

We are delighted to announce that, once again, we have attained Limited Assurance under the Integrated Reporting Framework. Our rigorous materiality process has earned us reasonable assurance, a prestigious recognition attained by only a handful of organisations worldwide.

 

Annual General Meeting 

CPA Australia’s AGM will be held on Wednesday 14 May 2025 at 5.30pm (AEST) at CPA Australia’s Melbourne office: Level 20, 28 Freshwater Place, Southbank, Melbourne.

This will be a hybrid meeting with members able to attend in person or watch the live webcast and ask questions in person, by phone or online. 

In line with our commitment to improving access to the AGM, we are very pleased to announce that this year we are piloting live AGM events in three divisional offices—Brisbane, Darwin, and Hong Kong. With directors present in each location, this initiative promises to create an engaging and inclusive experience for all participants.

 

Sincerely, 

Dale Pinto FCPA
John Curtin Distinguished Professor 
Global President and Chair 
On behalf of CPA Australia’s Board of Directors