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A Review of the Proposals for Reform of Independence of Australian Company Auditors
Author(s) -
Culvenor Jane,
Stokes Donald,
Taylor Stephen
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
australian accounting review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.551
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1835-2561
pISSN - 1035-6908
DOI - 10.1111/j.1835-2561.2002.tb00199.x
Subject(s) - independence (probability theory) , audit , accounting , auditor independence , business , economics , political science , internal audit , joint audit , statistics , mathematics
The Ramsay Report on the Independence of Australian Company Auditors, released in October 2001, contains a review of the current Australian requirements and proposals for reform of the rules and regulations governing auditor independence. In this paper we provide a critical examination of these proposals, in conjunction with any underlying rationale offered in the report. Assuming the onus of proof rests with the proponents of change, we argue that the justification for regulatory change is not well made. We pose a series of questions about the proposals and their potential economic consequences. Many of these questions are empirical and provide opportunities for further research.