Being an Alumni of the University of Sydney, Assoc. Prof. Lisa Barnes was given the opportunity to walk the halls of her undergraduate days when she attended the 13th World Congress of Accounting Educators and Researchers, held at the new Ambercrombie Business School building, on 9-10 November, 2018. The conference was an initiative of the International Association for Accounting, Education and Research (www.IAAER.org).
The TRAC Model
The conference was attended by delegates from around the world and included symposiums as well as plenary sessions. A paper prepared from Warrick Long’s PhD entitled “Accounting Academic Workloads in the Higher Education Sector: Balancing Workload Creep to Avoid Depreciation” was presented. Delegates could relate to particularly the TRAC model presented, where it was demonstrated that Accounting Lecturers are undergoing a type of workload creep with the current changes to student cohorts and changes to the way in which accounting is taught in the higher education sector.
Erin Poulton, one of ABS’s sessional lecturers also presented a paper entitled “The Alzheimer’s approach to Financial Disclosure: the case of Australian Residential Aged Care Providers”. This paper was from Erin’s PhD and is timely in the fact that there has now been an announcement of a Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. The Honourable Justice Joseph McGrath and Ms Lynelle Briggs AO have been appointed Commissioners. Justice McGrath is a judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia and Ms Briggs is a former Australian Public Service Commissioner. The Royal Commission’s interim report is to be provided by 31 October 2019, and its final report no later than 30 April 2020.
Erin’s recommendations in relation to disclosure of Financial Statements by Residential Age Care providers, is that currently they are inconsistent and inadequate and recommends the use of the General Purpose Financial Reporting (GPFR) standards when preparing accounts. She also recommends an audit of these accounts to enable the entities to release financial information to stakeholders to help them assess their ability to be sustainable, and make sure they family members are well provided for in the facility.
The conference website links are as follows can be found here.