AUASB 2025-8 Amendments to AUASB Standards

Explanatory Statement

AUASB 2025-8 Amendments to AUASB Standards

Issued by the Auditing and Assurance Standards Board

Obtaining a Copy of this Explanatory Statement

This Explanatory Statement is available on the Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (AUASB) website: www.auasb.gov.au

Contact Details

Reasons for Issuing Auditing Standard AUASB 2025-8

The AUASB issues AUASB 2025-8 Amendments to AUASB Standards pursuant to the requirements of the legislative provisions and the Strategic Direction explained below.

The AUASB was established under section 227A of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001, as amended (ASIC Act).  Under section 336 of the Corporations Act 2001, the AUASB may make Auditing Standards for the purposes of the corporations legislation.  These Auditing Standards are legislative instruments under the Legislation Act 2003.

Under the Strategic Direction given to the AUASB by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), the AUASB is required, inter alia, to develop auditing standards that have a clear public interest focus and are of the highest quality.

Main Features

This Standard makes amendments to the requirements, application and other explanatory material and appendices of the following AUASB Standards:

ASRE 2410 Review of a Financial Report Performed by the Independent Auditor of the Entity (Issued 9 June 2020 and amended to 13 December 2022)

ASA 101 Preamble to AUASB Standards (Issued 28 January 2025)

ASA 200 Overall Objectives of the Independent Auditor and the Conduct of an Audit in Accordance with Australian Auditing Standards (Issued 27 October 2009 and amended to 5 November 2021)

ASA 210 Agreeing the Terms of Audit Engagements (Issued 27 October 2009 and amended to 15 March 2023)

ASA 700 Forming an Opinion and Reporting on a Financial Report (Issued 1 December 2015 and amended to 28 January 2025)

The amendments arise from changes made by the Accounting Professional & Ethical Standards Board (APESB) to APES 110 Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including Independence Standards) (the Code), minor amendments to define a term used throughout the AUASB Standards and other editorial corrections.  

Operative Date

AUASB 2025-8 Amendments to AUASB Standards is operative for financial reporting periods commencing on or after 1 July 2025.

Process of making Australian Auditing Standards

The AUASB’s Strategic Direction, inter alia, provides that the AUASB develop Australian Auditing Standards that:

• have a clear public interest focus and are of the highest quality;
• use the International Standards on Auditing (ISAs) of the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) as the underlying standards;
• conform with the Australian regulatory environment; and
• are capable of enforcement.

Consultation Process prior to issuing the Auditing Standard

It is the view of the AUASB that AUASB 2025-8 does not require public exposure as the amendments are sufficiently narrow in scope.

Impact Analysis

A Preliminary Assessment form has been prepared in connection with the preparation of AUASB 2025-8 and lodged with the Office of Impact Analysis (OIA). The OIA advised that an Impact Analysis is not required in relation to this standard.

Exemption from Sunsetting

Auditing Standards promulgated by the AUASB that are legislative instruments are exempt from the sunsetting provisions of the Legislation Act 2003 through section 12 of the Legislation (Exemption and Other Matters) Regulation 2015 (Item 18(a)).

The AUASB’s Standards incorporate Standards set by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board.  The AUASB’s Standards are exempt from sunsetting because a more stringent review process than sunsetting applies to the Standards.  This review process ensures Australia’s Auditing Standards regime remains consistent with international standards.  Typically, the AUASB Standards are revised at least once within a ten-year period, with most of the Standards subject to revisions much more frequently than that.  Each revision follows the stringent review process (which includes the opportunity for public comment) in order to remain consistent with international Standards.  It is very unlikely that any AUASB Standard would not have been amended (or else considered for amendment) within a ten-year period through these review processes.  Therefore, if it applied, a ten-year sunsetting regime would have very limited practical application to AUASB Standards.  Parliamentary oversight is retained whenever a Standard is replaced or amended since the Standards are disallowable instruments and subject to the normal tabling and scrutiny process as required by the Legislation Act 2003.

Commencement of AUASB 2025-8

The instrument was made on 12 November 2025 but is operative for financial reporting periods commencing on or after 1 July 2025. In practice, while some financial periods may be shorter than 12 months, it is unlikely that entities would have reporting periods that commenced on 1 July 2025 and ended before 12 November 2025 or the assurance work would be concluded during that period. Therefore, the retrospective commencement is not expected to disadvantage any person.