This Australian Standard on Auditing deals with the auditor’s responsibilities relating to other information, whether financial or non‑financial information (other than the financial report and the auditor’s report thereon), included in an entity’s annual report.  An entity’s annual report may be a single document or a combination of documents that serve the same purpose.

This Auditing Standard is written in the context of an audit of a financial report by an independent auditor.  Accordingly, the objectives of the auditor in this Auditing Standard are to be understood in the context of the overall objectives of the auditor as stated in paragraph 11 of ASA 200.^[1]  The requirements in the Australian Auditing Standards are designed to enable the auditor to achieve the objectives specified in the Australian Auditing Standards, and thereby the overall objectives of the auditor.  The auditor’s opinion on the financial report does not cover the other information, nor does this Auditing Standard require the auditor to obtain audit evidence beyond that required to form an opinion on the financial report.

This Auditing Standard requires the auditor to read and consider the other information because other information that is materially inconsistent with the financial report or the auditor’s knowledge obtained in the audit may indicate that there is a material misstatement of the financial report or that a material misstatement of the other information exists, either of which may undermine the credibility of the financial report and the auditor’s report thereon.  Such material misstatements may also inappropriately influence the economic decisions of the users for whom the auditor’s report is prepared.

This Auditing Standard may also assist the auditor in complying with relevant ethical requirements^[2][*] that require the auditor to avoid being knowingly associated with information that the auditor believes contains a materially false or misleading statement, statements or information provided recklessly, or omits or obscures required information where such omission or obscurity would be misleading.

Other information may include amounts or other items that are intended to be the same as, to summarise, or to provide greater detail, about amounts or other items in the financial report, and other amounts or other items about which the auditor has obtained knowledge in the audit.  Other information may also include other matters.

The auditor’s responsibilities relating to other information (other than applicable reporting responsibilities) apply regardless of whether the other information is obtained by the auditor prior to, or after, the date of the auditor’s report.

This Auditing Standard does not apply to: 

1. Preliminary announcements of financial information; or 
2. Securities offering documents, including prospectuses. 

The auditor’s responsibilities under this Auditing Standard do not constitute an assurance engagement on other information or impose an obligation on the auditor to obtain assurance about the other information.

Law or regulation may impose additional obligations on the auditor in relation to other information that are beyond the scope of this Auditing Standard.

[Deleted by the AUASB.  Refer Aus 0.3]