Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2025L00107:front:0:p6
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2025L00107
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 17760–21085

(Ref: Para. A8–A11)

 1.                    Quality management within firms that perform assurance engagements, and compliance with ethical principles, including independence requirements, are widely recognised as being in the public interest and an integral part of high-quality assurance engagements. When a practitioner performs a sustainability assurance engagement in accordance with this and other ASSAs, it is important to recognise that this ASSA includes requirements that reflect the premises described in paragraph 6. (Ref: Para. A5–A11)

Scope of this ASSA

 1.                    Subject to the exceptions in paragraph Aus 0.1, this ASSA applies to all assurance engagements on sustainability information. This ASSA applies to all types of sustainability information, regardless of how that information is presented. (Ref: Para. A12–A14)

 2.                    This ASSA deals with both reasonable and limited assurance engagements. Unless otherwise stated, each requirement of this ASSA applies to both reasonable and limited assurance engagements. Because the level of assurance obtained in a limited assurance engagement is substantially lower than in a reasonable assurance engagement, the procedures the practitioner will perform in a limited assurance engagement will vary in nature and timing from, and are less in extent than for, a reasonable assurance engagement. (Ref: Para. A15)

 3.                The Framework for Assurance Engagements notes that an assurance engagement may be either an attestation engagement or a direct engagement. This ASSA deals only with attestation engagements. Therefore, references in this ASSA to "assurance engagement" or "engagement" mean an attestation engagement.

Relationship with ASAE 3000 (Revised)[2]

 1.                This ASSA is an overarching standard that includes requirements and application material for all elements of a sustainability assurance engagement. Accordingly, the practitioner is not required to apply ASAE 3000 (Revised) when performing the engagement.

Relationship with the Audited Financial Report

 1.                This ASSA does not address sustainability information that is required to be included in the entity's financial report in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework. The auditor of the entity's financial report is required to apply the Australian Standards on Auditing to such information.

 2.                Sustainability information may be presented together with the entity's audited financial report, for example, as a part of the entity's annual report or in a separate document or documents accompanying the annual report. In these circumstances, the audited financial reports are considered other information for purposes of this ASSA.

Scalability

 1.                This ASSA is intended for assurance engagements on sustainability information of all entities, regardless of size or complexity. However, the requirements of this ASSA are intended to be applied in the context of the nature and circumstances of the engagement.

Effective Date

 1.                [Deleted by the AUASB.  Refer Aus 0.3]

Objectives

 1.                In conducting a sustainability assurance engagement, the objectives of the practitioner are:

         1.                 To obtain reasonable assurance