Section Objective - Standard on Sustainability Assurance ASSA 2025-3 Amendments to ASSA 5000 General Requirements for Sustainability Assurance Engagements - Objective

Objective

The objective of this standard is to amend ASSA 5000 in connection with the application of Part 5 of the IESBA International Ethics Standards for Sustainability Assurance (including International Independence Standards) and the effective dates for non-Corporations Act 2001 assurance engagements. Minor amendments are also made to ASSA 5000 for clarity.

Amendments to ASSA 5000

This ASSA uses underlining, striking out and other typographical material to identify the amendments to ASSA 5000, in order to make the amendments more understandable. However, the amendments made by this ASSA do not include that underlining, striking out or other typographical material. Amended paragraphs are shown with deleted text struck through and new text underlined.
The section on ‘Conformity with International Standards on Sustainability Assurance’ in ASSA 5000 is amended as follows:

Conformity with International Standards on Sustainability Assurance

This Standard on Sustainability Assurance conforms with International Standard on Sustainability Assurance ISSA 5000 General Requirements for Sustainability Assurance Engagements issued by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board other than as detailed below.

Paragraphs that have been added to this Standard on Sustainability Assurance (and do not appear or appear differently in/from the text of the equivalent ISSA) are identified with the prefix “Aus”.

The following paragraphs and definitions are additional to or have been amended from ISSA 5000:

Paragraph	Summary of Change
Aus 6.1	Replaces ISSA 5000 introductory paragraph 6 to refer to ‘the provisions of APES 110 Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including Independence Standards) (November 2018 incorporating all amendments to June 2024)’ instead of ‘the provisions of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants’ International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards) (IESBA Code) related to sustainability assurance engagements’.
Aus 18.1	Introduces the definition of ‘the Code’ being include ‘APES 110 Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including Independence Standards) (November 2018 incorporating all amendments to June 2024)’and Part 5 of the International Ethics Standards for Sustainability Assurance (Including International Independence Standards). This ensures that ‘Relevant ethical requirements’ are consistent with those in ISSA 5000 (see also Aus 18.3 below).

Paragraph

Summary of Change

Aus 6.1

Replaces ISSA 5000 introductory paragraph 6 to refer to ‘the provisions of APES 110 Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including Independence Standards) (November 2018 incorporating all amendments to June 2024)’ instead of ‘the provisions of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants’ International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards) (IESBA Code) related to sustainability assurance engagements’.

Aus 18.1

Introduces the definition of ‘the Code’ being include ‘APES 110 Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including Independence Standards) (November 2018 incorporating all amendments to June 2024)’and Part 5 of the International Ethics Standards for Sustainability Assurance (Including International Independence Standards). This ensures that ‘Relevant ethical requirements’ are consistent with those in ISSA 5000 (see also Aus 18.3 below).

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