Conformity with International Standards on Auditing...... 101
Preface
Reasons for Issuing Auditing Standard ASA 330 The Auditor's Procedures in Response to Assessed Risks
The Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (AUASB) issues Auditing Standard ASA 330 The Auditor's Procedures in Response to Assessed Risks due to the requirements of the legislative provisions explained below.
The Corporate Law Economic Reform Program (Audit Reform and Corporate Disclosure) Act 2004 (the CLERP 9 Act) established the AUASB as an independent statutory body under section 227A of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001, as from 1 July 2004. Under section 336 of the Corporations Act 2001, the AUASB may make Auditing Standards for the purposes of the corporations legislation. These Auditing Standards are legislative instruments under the Legislative Instruments Act 2003.
Main Features
This Auditing Standard:
(a) requires the auditor to determine overall responses to address the risks of material misstatements at the financial report level;
(b) requires the auditor to design and perform further audit procedures to respond to the assessed risks of material misstatement at the assertion level;
(c) contains mandatory requirements and provides explanatory guidance concerning the nature, timing and extent of further audit procedures;
(d) identifies the circumstances where tests of controls and/or substantive procedures are required;
(e) requires the auditor to perform audit procedures to determine the adequacy of presentation and disclosure;
(f) requires the auditor to evaluate the sufficiency and appropriateness of audit evidence obtained; and
(g) requires the auditor to document certain matters in respect of procedures performed in response to assessed risks.
Operative Date
This Auditing Standard is operative for financial reporting periods commencing on or after 1 July 2006.
Main changes from AUS 406 (February 2004) The Auditor's Procedures in Response to Assessed Risks
The main differences between this Auditing Standard and the Auditing Standard issued by the Auditing & Assurance Standards Board of the Australian Accounting Research Foundation, AUS 406 (February 2004) The Auditor's Procedures in Response to Assessed Risks, are that in this Auditing Standard:
The word ‘shall’, in the bold-type paragraphs, is the terminology used to describe an auditor’s mandatory requirements, whereas an auditor’s degree of responsibility is described in AUS 406 by the word ‘should’.
The explanatory guidance paragraphs provide guidance and illustrative examples to assist the auditor in fulfilling the mandatory requirements, whereas in AUS 406 some obligations are implied within certain explanatory paragraphs. Accordingly, such paragraphs have been redrafted to clarify that the matter forms part of the explanatory guidance.
The following implied obligations in AUS 406 have been elevated and re-stated as specific mandatory requirements:
(a) when the auditor plans to perform only substantive procedures, the auditor shall design substantive procedures, for the relevant assertions, that are effective in reducing risks of material misstatement to an acceptably low level (paragraph 14);
(b) if the auditor’s procedures detect a material misstatement that was not identified by the entity and that is indicative of a material weakness in internal control, the auditor shall communicate that weakness to management and those charged with governance on a timely basis (paragraph 44);
(c) when the auditor plans to use audit evidence about the operating effectiveness of controls obtained in a prior audit, the auditor shall perform audit procedures during the current period to establish the continuing relevance of the audit evidence (paragraph 52);
(d) when the approach to significant risks consists only of substantive procedures, the auditor shall perform tests of details only or a combination of tests of details and substantive analytical procedures to address such significant risks (paragraph 73); and
(e) where the auditor plans to use audit evidence from the performance of substantive procedures in a prior audit, the auditor shall perform audit procedures during the current period to establish the continuing relevance of the audit evidence (paragraph 84).
AUTHORITY STATEMENT
The Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (AUASB) makes Auditing Standard ASA 330 The Auditor's Procedures in Response to Assessed Risks as set out in paragraphs 1 to 101, pursuant to section 227B of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 and section 336 of the Corporations Act 2001.
This Auditing Standard is to be read in conjunction with the Preamble to AUASB Standards, which sets out the intentions of the AUASB on how the Auditing Standards are to be understood, interpreted and applied.
The mandatory requirements of this Auditing Standard are set out in bold-type paragraphs.