Forms and method of submission

5. The information required by this reporting standard must be given to APRA either:

(a) in electronic form, using one of the electronic submission mechanisms provided by the ‘Direct to APRA’ (also known as ‘D2A’) application; or

(b) manually completed on paper, which must be faxed or mailed to APRA’s head office.

Note: the Direct to APRA application software and paper forms may be obtained from APRA.

Reporting periods and due dates

6. Subject to paragraph 7, an insurer must provide the information required by this reporting standard in respect of each financial year (within the meaning of the Corporations Act 2001) of the insurer.

Note: The annual information required by paragraph 3 read with paragraph 6, together with certain annual information required by other reporting standards, will form part of the insurer’s yearly statutory accounts within the meaning of section 3 of the Insurance Act 1973 (the Insurance Act). This means that the information must be audited in accordance with paragraph 49J(1)(a) of the Insurance Act. Under subsection 49J(3), the auditor must give the insurer a certificate relating to the yearly statutory accounts, and that certificate must specify the matters provided for in the prudential standards. (The annual information required from a highest parent entity under paragraph 4 read with paragraph 6 is not required to be audited. APRA proposes to determine an exemption, under section 7 of the Insurance Act, in relation to the obligations under Part IV Division 4 of the Act in respect of the auditing of this information.)

7. APRA may, by notice in writing, change the reporting periods, or specified reporting periods, for a particular insurer to require it to provide the information:

(a) more frequently (if, having regard to the particular circumstances of the insurer, APRA considers it necessary or desirable to obtain information more frequently for the purposes of the prudential supervision of the insurer); or

(b) less frequently (if, having regard to the particular circumstances of the insurer and the extent to which it requires prudential supervision, APRA considers it unnecessary to require the insurer to provide the information as frequently as provided by paragraph 6).

8. The information required by this reporting standard must be provided to APRA 4 months after the end of the reporting period to which the information relates.

Note: Paragraph 49L(1)(a) of the Insurance Act provides that the auditor’s certificate required under subsection 49J(3) of that Act must be lodged with APRA in accordance with the prudential standards. The prudential standards provide that the certificate must be submitted to APRA together with the yearly statutory accounts. Accordingly, the auditor’s certificate relating to the information required under paragraph 3 read with paragraph 6 must be provided to APRA by the time specified in paragraph 8 of this reporting standard (unless an extension is granted under paragraph 9).