Audit Lowe Down – New standards at 31 December 2024

Lowe Lippmann Chartered Accountants

New standards at 31 December 2024



There are three new accounting standards to be considered for the first time for 31 December 2024 reporters.


A summary of each of these standards has been considered below as well as potential impacts on our clients.


Revised AASB 101 Presentation of Financial Statements provides additional guidance regarding presentation of liabilities as current or non-current. In particular, the standard includes more clarity around the existence of covenants and waivers / periods of grace in the event of a breach. Additional disclosures are required where covenants are tested after the reporting date. This is likely to have impact for many of our clients and we recommend that bank agreements are reviewed as soon as possible as well as identification of potential covenant breaches.


AASB 2022-5 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards – Lease Liability in a Sale and Leaseback clarifies how a seller-lessee should measure lease liabilities arising from a sale and leaseback transaction. It ensures that the leaseback does not lead to the recognition of gains that aren't aligned with the right-of-use asset retained. Expected to have little impact, generally if our clients enter sale and leaseback arrangements, there is a failed sale as control is not transferred from the selling entity.


AASB 2023-1 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards – Supplier Finance Arrangements (2024-1 for Tier 2) introduces new disclosure requirements to enhance transparency about the nature, timing, and amount of liabilities financed by suppliers in relation to the effects of such arrangements on an entity’s liquidity risk and leverage. Little impact expected, however disclosure amendment only.



Please do not hesitate to contact your Lowe Lippmann Relationship Partner if you wish to discuss any of these matters further.

Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation


February 16, 2026
Division 296 draft legislation introduced to Parliament Last week the revised Division 296 draft legislation was introduced into Parliament, and some technical amendments have been made after the exposure draft consultation phase. We will explain some particular areas of concern and re-consider some questions we had raised in earlier Tax Alerts on this topic. This draft legislation has been progressing at a rapid pace, and it appears the Government wants to get this legislation finalised as soon as possible, with these Division 296 rules set to apply from 1 July 2026.
February 5, 2026
Transfer Balance Cap indexation & Superannuation changes Following the recent release of the December 2025 quarterly CPI figures by the Australian Bureau of Statistics’, the general transfer balance cap ( TBC ) will increase from $2 million to $2.1 million from 1 July 2026. This is applicable for superannuation fund members considering starting their first retirement phase income stream in 2026–27. This could provide tax effective retirement pension and non-concessional contribution opportunities for some members. The Australian Taxation Office needs to formally confirm this increase.
February 2, 2026
Mandating cash acceptance The Government recently announced that it was delivering on its commitment "to mandate cash acceptance for essential purchases by finalising regulations that require fuel and grocery retailers to accept cash from 1 January 2026." The changes mean that, from 1 January 2026 , most food and grocery retailers must accept cash for in-person transactions of $500 or less between 7am and 9pm. Small businesses with aggregate annual turnover under $10 million are generally exempted from this mandate. However, this mandate still applies to small businesses that choose to share a trademark with a large retailer. The Government noted that, in addition to the cash mandate for fuel and groceries, consumers also already have the option to pay their bills, including utilities, phone bills and council rates, in cash at their local Australia Post outlet through Post Billpay. The Government will review this mandate after three years, to ensure it is functioning as intended. We prepared a Special Topic article within our Practice Update - December 2025, if you want to read more on this topic – click here .
More Posts