Update from the CPA Australia Board 13 October 2021

Net Zero Commitment

CPA Australia is one of 13 accounting bodies worldwide to make a commitment to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change is an economic risk and accountants and finance professionals can play a significant role in managing and mitigating climate risks. CPA Australia has pledged to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions within our own organisation and provide training and guidance to support members in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in their own organisations and businesses. The initiative is part of The Prince of Wales’ Accounting for Sustainability, Accounting Bodies Network. Read the Net Zero commitment.

Semester 2 CPA Program Exams

Semester 2 CPA Program exams officially concluded on 10 October with approximately 25,000 exams across 11 subjects delivered to ASA members. With lockdowns and restrictions in place across parts of Australia and the rest of the world, CPA Australia made the difficult decision to suspend test centre exams in the affected regions for semester 2, 2021. This was to provide candidates with as much notice as possible to support them in their transition to sit an online proctored exam.

At the beginning of the semester approximately 70 per cent of candidates had elected to sit their exam in a test centre while 30 per cent chose the online exam. Due to COVID restrictions however, these numbers were reversed with 35 per cent of candidates sitting their exam in a test centre and 65 per cent sitting an online proctored exam. This is a logistical shift for many candidates, and we appreciate the flexibility and commitment they have shown. Results will be released on Friday 19 November and we wish all candidates good luck.

Divisional Council Elections

Elections for Divisional Council are currently running in seven of CPA Australia’s 13 Divisions: Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia. Ballots are not being held in the remaining Divisions as the number of nominations did not exceed the number of vacancies. More than 95,000 members are eligible to vote across the Divisions holding elections and polls are open until 18 October. The Board encourages all eligible members to participate in the election process. More information is available on the Divisional Council elections webpage.

CPA Member Connect Celebrates First Anniversary

It has been one year since we launched our online community platform, CPA Member Connect. The community has grown steadily in that time with over 14,400 members registered on the platform, over 990 threads created and more than 5,200 posts overall. This positive level of engagement highlights the value members place on being able to connect with peers in the profession. The most popular discussion posts since the 2020 launch are: Your Journey, CPA Australia Brand Image Strategy and Why Getting a Job is So Hard. Members can join the community on CPA Member Connect here.

CPA Virtual Congress 2021

CPA Virtual Congress 2021 takes place next week from Wednesday 20 October to Friday 22 October. Join a global online community to network with peers, listen to renowned local and international speakers and learn from thought leaders and industry experts from across the accounting profession. The theme ‘Leadershift’ speaks to the leadership we can all show in our respective roles as we forge a path to recovery. The program includes panel discussions and live Q&A sessions featuring many CPA Australia members from a range of industries sharing their knowledge and expertise. Program details and registration are available on the Virtual Congress 2021 webpage.

Internal Auditor Re-appointed

The Board has endorsed the recommendation of the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee to re-appoint RSM Australia as CPA Australia’s internal auditor for three years. Engaging an independent outsourced provider for the internal audit function brings a systematic and disciplined approach to evaluating and improving the effectiveness of the internal audit, strengthens our organisational controls and delivers best practice internal audit capability to CPA Australia.

Merran Kelsall FCPA
President and Chairman
On behalf of CPA Australia’s Board of Directors