17The role of the notes is to provide material information necessary:

17 The role of the notes is to provide material information necessary:
(a) to enable users of financial statements to understand the line items presented in the primary financial statements (see paragraph B6); and
(b) to supplement the primary financial statements with additional information to achieve the objective of financial statements (see paragraph B7).
18 An entity shall use the roles of the primary financial statements and the notes, described in paragraphs 16–17, to determine whether to include information in the primary financial statements or in the notes. The different roles of the primary financial statements and the notes mean that the extent of the information required in the notes differs from that in the primary financial statements. The differences mean that:
(a) to provide the structured summaries described in paragraph 16, information provided in the primary financial statements is more aggregated than information provided in the notes; and
(b) to provide the information described in paragraph 17, more detailed information about the entity’s assets, liabilities, equity, income, expenses and cash flows, including the disaggregation of information presented in the primary financial statements, is provided in the notes.

Information presented in the primary financial statements or disclosed in the notes

19 Some Australian Accounting Standards specify information that is required to be presented in the primary financial statements or disclosed in the notes. An entity need not provide a specific presentation or disclosure required by Australian Accounting Standards if the information resulting from that presentation or disclosure is not material. This is the case even if Australian Accounting Standards contain a list of specific requirements or describe them as minimum requirements.
20 An entity shall consider whether to provide additional disclosures when compliance with the specific requirements in Australian Accounting Standards is insufficient to enable users of financial statements to understand the effect of transactions and other events and conditions on the entity’s financial position and financial performance.

Information presented in the primary financial statements

21 Paragraph 16 establishes that the role of the primary financial statements is to provide structured summaries that are useful for the purposes specified in that paragraph (referred to hereafter as a useful structured summary). An entity shall use the role of the primary financial statements to determine what material information to present in those statements, as set out in paragraphs 22–24.
22 To provide a useful structured summary in a primary financial statement, an entity shall comply with specific requirements that determine the structure of the statement. The specific requirements are:
(a) for the statement of profit or loss – the requirements in paragraphs 47, 69, 76 and 78;
(b) for the statement presenting comprehensive income – the requirements in paragraphs 86–88;
(c) for the statement of financial position – the requirements in paragraphs 96 and 104;
(d) for the statement of changes in equity – the requirements in paragraph 107; and
(e) for the statement of cash flows – the requirements in paragraph 10 of AASB 107.
23 Some Australian Accounting Standards require specific line items to be presented separately in the primary financial statements (for example paragraphs 75 and 103 of this Standard). An entity need not present separately a line item in a primary financial statement if doing so is not necessary for the statement to provide a useful structured summary. This is the case even if Australian Accounting Standards contain a list of specific required line items or describe the line items as minimum requirements (see paragraph B8).
24 An entity shall present additional line items and subtotals if such presentations are necessary for a primary financial statement to provide a useful structured summary. When an entity presents additional line items or subtotals, those line items or subtotals shall (see paragraph B9):
(a) comprise amounts recognised and measured in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards;
(b) be compatible with the statement structure created by the requirements listed in paragraph 22;
(c) be consistent from period to period, in accordance with paragraph 30; and
(d) be displayed no more prominently than the totals and subtotals required by Australian Accounting Standards.