Accounting for the government: Is GAAP a step forward or a step back? 
(Seminars)
6 March 2012
3.30pm - 5pm
Venue: Room 219, Level 2, Owen G Glenn Building, 12 Grafton Road
Contact info: RSVP to Dr M Claire Dale
Contact email: m.dale@auckland.ac.nz
Retirement Policy and Research Centre seminar by Associate Professor Sue Newberry, The University of Sydney.
Funding issues for social insurance have become a key concern in debates over pre-funding, and the roles of the Accident Compensation Corporation, the NZ Superannuation Fund, and the Earthquake Commission. Is the generally accepted accounting standards (GAAP) approach appropriate for a government’s financial reports given its wide involvement in social insurance? What about public-private partnerships? How valid is the GAAP approach for a government overall? Has line by line accounting improved the New Zealand accounts? Has it improved transparency, or has it created a façade of transparency that does not tell us what we need to know. These and other questions suggest that GAAP has led to a narrow interpretation of the role of the state and how it should be monitored.
Associate Professor Sue Newberry is a recognised expert in Australasia on GAAP issues. Her research covers two main areas: financial accounting and standard-setting; and public sector financial management reforms. She believes many accounting and financial management issues have public policy implications and should be understood by the wider public. In addition to academic articles, she makes direct submissions to professional and public bodies, publishes articles in daily, weekly and specialist newspapers, and comments for the media on financial issues within her field of expertise. Sue has taught financial accounting and public sector financial management at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels. She previously taught at New Zealand’s University of Canterbury, and currently has editorial board roles for Abacus, the Australian Accounting Review, the International Public Management Journal, the International Review of Administrative Sciences, and the International Public Management Review.
Registration is requested. Please email Dr M Claire Dale at m.dale@auckland.ac.nz
