Today, the Institute represents the interests of members and students across 51 countries, and our membership numbers – now more than 24,000 – rank the IPA in the top 25 professional accounting bodies worldwide.
Responsiveness and flexibility have always been in our DNA. Just as our proud heritage reveals the ability to adapt to changing times, today’s IPA continues to deliver products and services that benefit members and make a real difference to their professional lives. Testament to this was being named in the top 20 of the 2012 BRW Most Innovative Companies list. We are the only accounting organisation to be included in the list.
Our global connections have broadened in recent years through membership of the profession’s leading international body, the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), and the world’s largest regional accounting organisation, the Confederation of Asian and Pacific Accountants (CAPA). The IPA’s own branch offices in Kuala Lumpur and Beijing have provided further opportunities to strengthen international ties and expand membership.
At both a national and global level, the IPA has a seat at more than 120 forums and has worked hard to establish a strong voice when it comes to representing the interests of members and the profession as a whole.
The focus on education and career development has become increasingly important. The IPA now offers members and students a complete development pathway – from BAS agents to accountants, from certificate level to a Diploma in Financial Planning, and through to our acclaimed IPA Program, which leads to a Master of Commerce (Professional Accounting). The IPA provides members with a qualification that is recognised anywhere in the world and equips them with the skills needed for a long and successful career.
The IPA is an equal member of the Accounting Professional and Ethical Standards Board (APESB) and was formally recognised within the Corporations Act 2001 as one of the three professional Australian accounting bodies whose members qualify as ‘recognised accountants’.
Over the past 12 months, the IPA has rolled out initiatives such as the My Public Accountant sub-brand and the PPQA Online service. My Public Accountant – a marketing and services umbrella for members to profile themselves to their clients and local communities – has quickly become the largest branded accounting practice network in Australia. PPQA Online, meanwhile, has revolutionised the way accountants ensure they meet their quality assurance compliance obligations.
These transformations – and many others – underpin the IPA’s ongoing commitment to innovation, enhancing the careers of its members and building national and international pathways. It’s a commitment forged from a history of change, evolution and progress.
Indeed, a time to celebrate. And, with growing membership and new opportunities, the future looks even more exciting.
[breakoutbox][breakoutbox_title]In the beginning…[/breakoutbox_title][breakoutbox_excerpt]The IPA had its genesis in an Australia far removed from the one we know today. Here we reflect on the many changes that have helped shape the organisation over the past nine decades.[/breakoutbox_excerpt][breakoutbox_content]
The year 1923 was certainly memorable. In the US, a new magazine called TIME hit the newsstands and Roy and Walt Disney founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio. France held a 24-hour car race at Le Mans for the first time. In China, foreign-backed warlords battled for control of Beijing.
Far from these events, the Institute of Factory and Cost Accountants was formed in Melbourne, and it’s from this body – through seven name changes – that the IPA is directly descended.
After the massive upheaval of the Great War, the Institute represented a fresh breed of accountants, immersed in the country’s reinvigorated future and striving to understand the wider operations of new industries like steelworks and car building.
The profound economic changes brought about by World War II transformed the business landscape again, and the accounting profession recognised the significant role that taxation would play in the future. To reflect this, the organisation changed its name in 1950 to the Institute of Taxation and Cost Accountants.
Over the following two decades, with strong economic growth and the emergence of technology, an increasingly complex business world demanded more sophisticated techniques in accounting. This meant far-reaching changes in accountancy education, training and development.
In response to its growth and wider responsibilities, the organisation went through two name changes during this time – the National Institute of Accountants in 1957 and the Institute of Commercial Studies in 1967.
Collaborating with the then Australian Society of Accountants, the Institute of Commercial Studies was intended to provide a complementary level of education for the accountancy profession. But this new direction proved not as successful as envisaged and, slowly moving towards greater autonomy, the organisation became first the Institute of Affiliate Accountants (IAA) in 1970 and then, in 1988, returned to full independence as the National Institute of Accountants.
The 2000s marked a defining, global step in the organisation’s history, with educational expansion in China and Malaysia and full membership of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC).
Another major milestone was marked in 2011. This time, it was not just a name change but a complete rebrand and repositioning of a long-established structure. It was innovative, it was a true leap of faith, and it was overwhelmingly supported by members. It was the launch of the Institute of Public Accountants (IPA).
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