June/July ‘Acuity’ out now
The June/July issue of ‘Acuity’ magazine is out now, offering accountants a mix of technical and business advice.
In Brief
- 'Acuity' June/July 2023 magazine is in letterboxes now.
- In this issue, 'Acuity' examines recent challenges such as the cost of natural disasters, how to attract more accounting professionals from overseas and the price of public holidays on productivity.
- Also, Simon Grant FCA and Peter Vial FCA unpack the five principles CA ANZ uses to guide its advocacy.
By Carey Swan
Check your letterbox or head online to read the June/July issue of Acuity magazine, out now.
Over the last 18 months, both Australia and New Zealand have experienced multiple devastating floods. While the forecast El Niño climate system may offer some respite this winter, communities and experts will still be asking why we continue to build and live on floodplains. Catastrophic weather events cost lives, as well as billions of dollars, so what risk-management steps are government and insurers taking to ensure resilience is built into our property development plans? Plus, at what point should we be discussing managed retreat?
“We’ve got some developed areas that have flooded twice in two years. People’s homes have been ruined twice, and still we rebuild again and again.”
Another challenge Acuity looks at in this issue is finding talent – particularly accounting talent. One post-pandemic solution under the spotlight is immigration, and we discuss if the current immigration targets are enough to combat accounting skill shortages and stimulate economic growth in Australia and New Zealand.
Beyond headcount, increased productivity is critical for both countries. So, with most of Australia and New Zealand celebrating a king’s birthday public holiday (and with Matariki coming up in July for our New Zealand members) do public holidays increase productivity or are they a net loss for the economy? Perhaps counter-intuitively, a movement that is gaining traction globally to boost productivity and maintain work-life balance is the four-day work week. We take a look at the rationale.
No doubt you’ll have read Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand’s recent Budget commentary, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the activities of the organisation’s advocacy teams. In the first column in a new series, Simon Grant FCA and Peter Vial FCA outline the principles CA ANZ uses to help advocate in the best interests of both members and the public, in accordance with the profession’s ethical standards.
Read these stories and many more in the current issue of Acuity.
