Acuity Magazine

Acuity Magazine Acuity Magazine is a platform for business leaders and thinkers to exchange their views and ideas.

Our printed and digital platforms include insight and foresight from influential businesspeople, leading economists and visionary futurists. The magazine and website is published by Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, and CustomMade Media Australia.

08/06/2026

AI is accelerating cyber attacks – and their costs – leaving Australian and New Zealand businesses increasingly exposed.

In 2025, the average cost of a data breach globally fell for the first time in five years, according to the Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025. However, despite average lower data breach costs globally, in Australia and New Zealand the trend is running in the opposite direction.

Here, Acuity crunches the costs of a data breach: https://ow.ly/tuml50Z4xGi

ASIC reported that in the 2024–2025 financial year, Australian corporate insolvencies had surged 34.2% year-on-year. Wit...
03/06/2026

ASIC reported that in the 2024–2025 financial year, Australian corporate insolvencies had surged 34.2% year-on-year. With 31% of Australian adults now owning or having owned cryptocurrency and New Zealand adoption sitting at 14%, these cases are increasingly likely to involve digital assets. For liquidators, the traditional toolkit of padlocks and auctions is no longer relevant.

“The biggest risk is simply failing to identify the asset exists,” says Lee Pascoe, commercial dispute resolution and restructuring/insolvency special counsel at law firm, Norton Rose Fulbright Australia.

“I’ve had practitioners come to me 18 months after an appointment saying, ‘I think my guy had cryptocurrency'. At that point, it’s long gone.”

Read more: https://ow.ly/yKGR50Z4xFm

In honour of Mabo Day, and the final day of National Reconciliation Week, we speak to two Indigenous accountants leading...
02/06/2026

In honour of Mabo Day, and the final day of National Reconciliation Week, we speak to two Indigenous accountants leading change.

Jolene Kawak FCA, a proud Yamatji woman and a Yugunga-Nya traditional landowner, and Angela Edwards FCA, an accountant from Ngāpuhi living on whānau (family) land at Waimate North, share their journeys with Acuity, explaining why the industry needs more Indigenous accountants.

For Kawak, the gap is stark – in Australia, only 0.5% of CA ANZ members identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. She now says ‘yes’ to every opportunity to be visible.

Read their stories: https://ow.ly/agjp50Z4xFg

Amanda Gascoigne FCA says a lot of accountants she deals with want to shift from compliance to the extra challenges of t...
01/06/2026

Amanda Gascoigne FCA says a lot of accountants she deals with want to shift from compliance to the extra challenges of taking on an advisory role.

“The gold standard that a lot of people aspire to is that they’ve got 50% of their practice’s revenue coming from compliance and 50% coming from advisory,” she says.

“You actually get more rewarding work, more profitable work and longer-term relationships when you’re offering that combination.”

Here, Gascoigne, together with Ben Paul, CEO of The BD Ladder, share six tips for sharpening your skills and becoming a more effective business adviser.

Read more: https://ow.ly/6fhZ50Z4xF3

31/05/2026

Today marks the first day of International Pride Month, a celebration of the strength, diversity and unity of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Here, we explore how to truly support LGBTIQA+ employees in the workplace beyond words, rainbow flags and morning teas.

“I've seen this so many times, people fly the flags and they do the cupcakes and then they just expect everybody to feel safe and supported, and to come out in their organisation,” says Ruth Allen, former Victorian Commissioner for LGBTIQA+ Communities and currently the state’s Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner.

“They’re really surprised when people don’t, but don’t forget that some older LGBTIQA+ people have faced discrimination all their life and a couple of rounds of cupcakes isn’t going to make them feel supported. You need to be consistent, visible and vocal.”

Read more: https://ow.ly/Ztsk50Z4xEL

Many accounting firms have already integrated AI into their work processes. However, just as the wider population is cha...
28/05/2026

Many accounting firms have already integrated AI into their work processes. However, just as the wider population is challenged by financial literacy, many people and organisations on the client side also struggle to understand technology.

Matt Beard, program director at the Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership at Monash University in Melbourne, says there is danger in accountants moving too fast in using AI, then “taking the client out of the dialogue and assuming they don’t really need to know about it”.

So, if you’re using AI, do you need to inform your clients?

Read more: https://ow.ly/HyEX50Z22QS

Data is no longer just an IT responsibility. Now, the CFO and their team must help decide what gets collected, how often...
27/05/2026

Data is no longer just an IT responsibility. Now, the CFO and their team must help decide what gets collected, how often, and how that data is turned into insight and action.

Richard Jacobitz CA, CFO at civil engineering company McCosker Contracting, has witnessed the evolution as CFOs have become more strategic, moving up from back rooms and crunching numbers, to having a leading seat at the executive and boardroom tables.

“If you don’t have the curiosity to be looking at developments like data and AI before they land on your table, then you are already behind the eight ball,” he says. “My guys are now doing a lot more of what used to be done by the IT team, putting it into play and running with it.”

Read more: https://ow.ly/Zwx150Z22PX

This National Reconciliation Week, we speak to Rhonen Maher CA, a Yawuru, Jabirr Jabirr and Bardi man who – with the hel...
26/05/2026

This National Reconciliation Week, we speak to Rhonen Maher CA, a Yawuru, Jabirr Jabirr and Bardi man who – with the help of a mentor on the other side of the country – overcame the odds to become a chartered accountant at KRED and now supports First Nations communities to prosper.

Read his story here: https://ow.ly/KIYW50Z22Qr

24/05/2026

Communication fatigue is real, leaving many of us stressed, distracted and burnt out.

Email has emerged as one of the biggest culprits, with a study of RescueTime users finding that, on average, workers check in with communication tools every six minutes. More than a third check email or instant messaging every three minutes or less.

The good news? Boundaries and better systems can reverse the impact.

Here are the skills and tools you need to help manage communication fatigue: https://ow.ly/qOAl50YZmUL

Faced with an ageing population, governments in New Zealand and Australia are taking steps to limit national pension pay...
21/05/2026

Faced with an ageing population, governments in New Zealand and Australia are taking steps to limit national pension payouts and boost private retirement savings.

Here’s what’s under way: https://ow.ly/BuYT50YZmTu

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