Australia brings all IFRSs as of 31 March 2004 into effect
17 Jul 2004
The Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) has voted to formally adopt all IASs and IFRSs existing at 31 March 2004 as Australian Accounting Standards, thereby effectively introducing those international accounting standards into Australian law for all companies and other entities for reporting periods commencing on or after 1 January 2005. The AASB's policy is to have standards in place one year before entities must adopt them, to allow time for entities to address systems changes and other transition problems.
Thus – with one exception – any further changes to IFRSs would take effect in Australia after 2005. The one exception is the standard expected to result from IASB's ED 6 on exploration and evaluation costs in the extractive industries. That exposure draft would, in effect, "grandfather" Australia's existing national GAAP for those industries. Thus, transition problems are not expected. Because they are delegated legislation, the standards still must pass through a final endorsement process in both houses of the Australian Parliament. They can be rejected in whole or part by a majority vote in either house. Click for (PDF 39k).