Transitioning to IFRS in Australian Classrooms: Impact on Teaching Approaches

This paper outlines the impact that transition to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) had in Australia with reference to the teaching approaches across university accounting classrooms. The discussion begins with a short history of past rules governing accounting in Australia, followed by a review of the transition to IFRS in Australia. An assessment of the ways in which the Australian accounting academic community incorporated the adoption of IFRS into their curriculum is also provided. The review suggests that despite an initial period of foreboding from accounting educators, the transition to IFRS involved minimal changes in teaching approaches. We argue that there were missed opportunities to revise the curriculum, particularly at the introductory level, by adopting a framework-based teaching approach in line with the principles-based IFRS. The paper concludes with some observations about lessons learned from the Australian experience as a guide for accounting faculty in other parts of the world who are about to embark on the transition to IFRS.