Code of Conduct and Ethics

Avance Chartered Accountants (“Avance”, “we”, “our”, “us”) is committed to maintaining the highest level of integrity in all our dealings with our stakeholders, including clients (both present and past), suppliers, government agencies, employees, equity holders, and associates and as a member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (“CAANZ”), uphold the APESB professional and ethical standards, which outline the mandatory professional and ethical requirements of those conducting professional services across various areas.

Avance is also bound by the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth), (“Act”) which is the national law for fair trading and consumer protection in Australia. In the event of any inconsistency between the Act and this Code of Conduct and Ethics, the Act shall take precedence.

The Avance Code of Conduct and Ethics principals are:

• Integrity: to be honest and straightforward in all professional dealings,
• Objectivity: professional and business judgement to override bias, conflict of interest, self-interest or undue influence,
• Professional competence and due care: maintain professional skills and knowledge commiserate with our service offerings,
• Confidentiality: maintain the confidentiality and privacy of our stakeholders (in accordance with our Privacy Policy) and ensure that all clients are consulted with on the content of any press release or advertising relating to their business, product or service,
• Professional behaviour: maintain compliance with relevant legislations and industry best practice, and,
• Content standards: make no misleading or deceptive statements or claims, whether by words, omissions illustration or otherwise, in regards to any content, product or service.

To maintain this Code, Avance and all executives and employees will:

• Actively promote the highest standards of ethics and integrity in carrying out their duties,
• Disclose any actual or perceived conflicts of interest of a direct or indirect nature of which they become aware and which they believe could compromise in any way the reputation or performance of Avance,
• Respect confidentiality of all information of a confidential nature which is acquired in the course of our business and not disclose or make improper use of such confidential information to any person unless specific authorisation is given for disclosure or disclosure is legally mandated,
• Deal with our clients, suppliers, competitors, shareholders, government agencies and each other with the highest level of honesty, fairness and integrity and to observe the rule and spirit of the legal and regulatory environment in which we operate,
• Ensure clients are provided with all the information necessary for them to make a fully informed purchase decision in respect to Avance products and services and use best endeavours to complete projects and deliver products and services on time and within the clients’ budget,
• Protect our assets to ensure availability for legitimate business purposes and ensure all professional and community opportunities are enjoyed by Avance and that no property, information or position belonging to us or opportunity arising from these are used for personal gain or to compete with Avance,
• Report any breach of this Code of Conduct and Ethics to Avance, who will treat reports made in good faith of such violations with respect and in confidence, and
• Ensure that our subcontractors and suppliers adhere to the code as closely as possible (Avance will not enter into any contract or agreement that may evade any aspect of this Code).

Code breaches

Failure of Avance executives and employees to abide by this Code is considered to be a serious breach of Avance policy and will be fully investigated by us. Breaches of this Code will result in disciplinary action being taken, which ranges from verbal warnings to employment termination depending on the nature of the breach.

Changes to this Code of Conduct and Ethics

This document reflects our Code of Conduct and Ethics as at [27 July 2018]. Avance reserves the right to make amendments to this Code at any time, which will be indicated by the aforementioned date. If you have objections to the Code, you can contact us such that we can attend to your concerns.

How to contact us

If there is something you are not satisfied with, you may contact us in writing or via our web form. We will respond to you within 30 days.