Statement from the Board 6 February 2020

1. 2020 Annual General Meeting (AGM) 

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of CPA Australia will be held on Monday 27 April at 5.30pm at the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, 199 George Street, Sydney NSW.

The notice of meeting and proxy form for the AGM will be dispatched to members as soon as possible, but at least 21 days before the AGM, as required under S249H of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) and the CPA Australia Constitution.

We encourage you to update your contact preferences  to receive your notice of meeting and other communications by email. This is the fastest, most efficient and cost-effective manner of communicating with members and it also minimises the environmental impact. 

2. Coronavirus Impact

The outbreak of the coronavirus has caused great concern across many communities. We are closely monitoring the situation, heeding government advice and taking the required action to protect the health and wellbeing of members and staff. 

In some locations, we’ve taken precautionary measures and have cancelled Professional Development and member events. 

View the Coronavirus Impact page for the latest updates. 

3. New Public Practice Pathway

CPA Australia last month launched its new Public Practice Program that provides a more flexible, personalised and practical pathway to help members set their public practice business up for success. The new program consists of an e-Learning program and workshop. 

The e-Learning program is streamlined and on-demand, covering the essential technical and ethical requirements to become a CPA Public Practitioner. The new workshop is tailored to meet member needs with an outcome-oriented focus designed to set the business up for success now and into the future. 

The new pathway is proving popular with more than 100 members enrolling in the e-Learning modules in January.

4. Knowledge Equity Guided Learning

There were extremely encouraging results for the pilot of the Knowledge Equity embedded tuition program that was introduced in Semester 2, 2019 to support candidates enrolled in the CPA Program. The results showed that candidates who actively engaged with the Knowledge Equity Guided Learning resources achieved a higher average pass rate, an increased average score, a lower fail rate, and a greater proportion of Credit, Distinction and High Distinction marks compared to students who did not engage with the study support materials. The results were consistent across all subjects.

We are looking to build on this in 2020 by encouraging more students to engage with the Knowledge Equity Guided Learning resources.

5. Disaster Recovery Toolkit

Further to our message to members on 8 January about support for victims of the Australian bushfires, CPA Australia has updated its Disaster Recovery Toolkit. The Toolkit provides guidance to businesses impacted by disaster and can assist members and their clients with the steps to recovery. It includes information and useful links for members to access support from Australian government agencies and can be accessed on the homepage of the CPA Australia website.

Peter Wilson AM FCPA

President and Chair
On behalf of CPA Australia’s Board of Directors