Standard on Sustainability Assurance ASSA 5000 General Requirements for Sustainability Assurance Engagements
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Introduction
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This Australian Standard on Sustainability Assurance (ASSA) deals with assurance engagements on sustainability information.
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For purposes of this ASSA, sustainability information is information about sustainability matters. An entity’s disclosures about such matters may relate to several different topics (e.g., climate, labour practices, biodiversity) and aspects of topics (e.g., risks and opportunities, metrics and key performance indicators). Law or regulation or sustainability reporting frameworks may describe sustainability matters, topics or aspects of topics in different ways, and may also provide requirements or guidance for the entity in determining the sustainability information to be reported. (Ref: Para. A1, A21–A22, A43, Appendix 1)
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Sustainability information is reported in accordance with the criteria. This ASSA requires the practitioner to evaluate whether the criteria that the practitioner expects to be applied in the preparation of the sustainability information are suitable for the engagement circumstances. In the absence of indications to the contrary, framework criteria that are embodied in law or regulation or are established by authorised or recognised organisations that follow a transparent due process are presumed to be suitable. (Ref: Para. A2, A197)
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The criteria may specify a process by which the entity identifies sustainability matters to be reported, including the application of materiality in identifying such matters and the reporting boundary. In this ASSA, “the entity’s process to identify sustainability information to be reported” refers to the process applied by the entity to determine the sustainability matters to be reported in the sustainability information and the reporting boundary. (Ref: Para. A3)
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The scope of the assurance engagement may extend to all of the sustainability information to be reported by the entity or only part of that information. For example, some jurisdictions may require the entirety of the sustainability information to be reported in accordance with an established framework to be subject to assurance. However, in certain jurisdictions, law or regulation may require that only climate-related disclosures in an entity’s sustainability information be subject to assurance. The reporting requirements of this ASSA require the practitioner to identify or describe the information that is subject to the assurance engagement. (Ref: Para. A4)
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This ASSA is premised on the basis that: (Ref: Para. A5)
- [Deleted by the AUASB. Refer Aus 6.1.]
Aus 6.1(a) The members of the engagement team and the engagement quality reviewer (for those engagements where one has been appointed) are subject to the applicable requirements of the Code and applicable legislative or other requirements, or professional requirements, or requirements in law or regulation, that are at least as demanding; and (Ref: Para. A6–A7)