Opinion leaders will come together to discuss emerging directions for the audit profession on Tuesday 14 November.  
 
Institute members are invited to attend the John V. Ratcliffe Memorial Lecture 2006, which runs from 6pm to 8pm at the Heritage Ballroom, The Westin Sydney, No 1 Martin Place, Sydney. 
 
The Institute has collaborated with the event organisers, the University of New South Wales (UNSW), on several recent thought leadership activities. This has included commissioning professors Ken Trotman and Wai Fong Chua to investigate key issues that affect the future of the accounting profession, and then publishing their reports. The reports have then been presented to opinion leaders in Australia (and abroad) including government, regulators, Institute members and academics. 
 
The event features a short talk from each of three speakers in turn, followed by questions from the audience. Speakers include:

• Professor Ken Trotman, who will explore whether Australia should adopt more lenient auditing standards for smaller firms. He will also ask whether demands on auditors are unreasonable. If levels of accountability become too onerous, smaller practitioners may be driven from the market through liability risks or their consequent pricing impacts
• Kim Smith, a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers, will discuss his vision for future directions in auditing and assurance standards
• Roger Simnett, head of UNSW’s school of accounting, will explore the future directions for the provision of new assurance services. In particular, how can we learn from recent US experience in reporting on internal corporate controls? And what future possibilities lie in reporting on sustainability and other aspects of extended performance reporting?

• UNSW: open invitation (PDF document)
• The Institute: Thought leadership web-page