Over the last few months, there has been a spotlight on unethical behaviour and the role of professions and regulators to hold to account those who breach laws and standards.

There have rightly been hard questions asked about the actions of a few, casting a shadow on our profession, as well CA ANZ’s role as a regulator.

On the latter, CA ANZ’s independent Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) is investigating the PwC matter, alongside the Australian Federal Police, and parliamentary hearings on Management and Assurance of Integrity by Consulting Services and the recently announced Ethics and Professional Accountability inquiry. The PCC’s investigation will be thorough and needs time to continue.

On the former, we should reflect on the charge that many members of a certain generation – largely premerger – will have taken at graduation. The charge says: “Be scrupulous in your adherence to professional ethics and thus preserve and enhance the profession’s high reputation.”Two key words here are ‘preserve’ and ‘enhance’. Professional ethics must be continually addressed and strengthened, whether personally through education and consideration or as a profession, through review and change.

This is why the CA ANZ Professional Conduct Framework Review is so important, as the recommendations seek to enhance the profession’s conduct rules and by-laws.

Our conduct processes need to be fair and robust. The recommendations of the review meet this basic rule, to enhance the disciplinary bottom line underneath the charge.

The recommendations extend our ability to respond to firm events, provide clearer guidance on sanctions that can be applied to members, and further align the disciplinary bodies in Australia and New Zealand.

Having former ACT integrity commissioner and federal court justice, the Honorable Dennis Cowdroy AO KC, has been key to ensuring independent and rigorous scrutiny of the recommendations.

The review is an opportunity for our profession to show the public, governments and the wider business community that we are serious about ensuring our disciplinary framework can address events that stem from systemic and cultural issues within large organisations. And reflecting on and living the charge is a way for each of us to show our colleagues, clients and the public that we are deserving of their trust and confidence.

Some of the review recommendations can be implemented as a matter of course, but others will require amendments to the CA ANZ by-laws or NZICA rules and therefore member approval, being a vote in the lead-up to the next AGM.

It is my view that we must take every opportunity to strengthen our designation.