Advocacy objectives

Good public policy plays an important role in building a more equitable, sustainable, prosperous and resilient future.

CA ANZ advocates on policy, business, economic and social issues that are relevant to our members, their clients and the communities they serve.

The main objectives of our advocacy are to:

• Achieve better policy outcomes in the public good
• Uphold standards and trust in the profession
• Influence sound legal and regulatory reform
• Create value for our members, their clients and communities
• Increase our recognition as trusted advisers with government and other key stakeholders.

Our policy priorities and positions

The major areas we advocate on are tax, superannuation, financial advice, small business, reporting and assurance, regulation of the profession, anti-money laundering, sustainability, education, skills and migration, and diversity, equity and inclusion. 

CA ANZ has updated its policy priorities and positions for advocacy in 2025 across a range of areas with input from members, to guide our approach for the year ahead.

Here are CA ANZ's policy priorities for 2025.

Regulation of the profession

• Engaging with parliamentary inquiries and reviews that impact our members.
• Ensuring the relevant regulators have appropriate mandates and are adequately resourced to fulfil them.

Tax

• Working with the Australian Tax Office to improve its service delivery and reduce the administrative burden on tax agents.
• Engaging with Inland Revenue and Government on an effective, efficient tax system in New Zealand, including simplifying FBT and other measures to reduce tax compliance costs.

Education, skills and talent

• Addressing the shortage of accounting, audit and finance professionals, enhancing the attractiveness of the profession and building the talent pipeline.
• Boosting national productivity through education, skills and migration investment and reform.

Anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing

• Working with AUSTRAC to ensure the new AML/CTF Rules being developed in Australia reflect recent reforms to the regime which recognised our members’ current obligations under other legislation and professional standards.
• Continuing to advocate in Australia for searches on ASIC’s Organisations and Business Names register to be free of charge.

Sustainability

• Aligning local sustainability reporting and assurance standards and frameworks with global counterparts, and ensuring they are fit for purpose and proportionate.
• Supporting the implementation of mandatory climate-related disclosures and related assurance requirements.

Financial services

• Simplifying the superannuation system, better targeted super tax concessions, replacing annual caps with lifetime caps, and sensible implementation of the Australian Government’s Payday Super policy.
• Reducing complexity and costs to increase access to affordable, quality financial advice in Australia.

Reporting and assurance

• Adoption of mandatory digital reporting for listed companies (issuers) in Australia and New Zealand.
• Ensuring accounting and auditing standards, and relevant regulation, meet user needs, are fit-for-purpose and proportionate. This includes not-for-profit accounting reforms, post-implementation review of leases, intangibles and other key standards, auditing standards for less complex entities, and relevant regulatory reform processes.

Our policy priorities and detailed policy positions can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.

How we advocate

Our policy positions are advocated through submissions, consultations and ongoing engagement with governments, regulators and standard setters and by speaking out on issues where the profession’s expertise is relevant.

We provide different perspectives on public policy and stimulate thinking and conversation on what can be done to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead.