Who We Are

The Institute of Public Accountants is one of the three legally recognised professional bodies for accountants in Australia. The IPA represents more than 35,000 members and students working in industry, commerce, government, academia and professional practice.

 

What We Do

The IPA has a passion for small business. More than 75 per cent of our members are either servicing small business or are small businesses in their own right.

We constantly challenge ourselves to ensure we are delivering the best service possible to our members while maintaining our small business focus. As such, we have articulated our reason for being as:

To improve the quality of life of small business.

We recognise the vital contribution that small business makes to the economy globally. As trusted advisers, IPA members play a pivotal role in the lives of their small business clients and are in an ideal position to support the productivity, growth and prosperity of small business; thus making a genuine economic contribution.

For this reason we have established our vision as:

For every small business to have one of our members by their side

Advocating for the small business and SME sectors is at the core of what we do. In 2015, this advocacy work led to the landmark Australian Small Business White Paper, developed in conjunction with our dedicated IPA – Deakin University SME Research Centre. In 2017, we commenced, through our research centre and appointment of academics in the UK, the development of the UK version of the White Paper.

We have also partnered with a Shanghai-based consultancy to develop a small business policy platform in China which shares the universality of the White Paper model. Concurrently, we are working on the second edition of the Australian version with expanded research on additional factors including mental health and wellbeing of small business.

Our commitment to members

IPA’s commitment to members includes the delivery of quality continual professional development and education pathways, ensuring they maintain currency of knowledge and relevance in an ever-changing and competitive market.

This is supported by a range of communications including technical newsletters and updates; major conferences and networking opportunities; and, an award winning online technical support platform.

Advocating on behalf of members is an ongoing activity for the IPA and we have a seat at more than 120 forums with key political, regulatory and industry stakeholders across Australia and overseas. This work is reinforced with a multitude of formal submissions to key influencers and an active media program.

The IPA also delivers many products and services to benefit members and their businesses through an array of strategic commercial partnerships.

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