Australian Audit Reports: 1980‐89

This paper provides information on auditors' opinions in Australia in the period 1980‐1989. Issues which are reviewed include the frequency with which different opinions are issued, the types of opinions which are issued by the different audit firms and the circumstances on which the financial statements have drawn qualification. Between 15% and 20% of the financial statements were found to draw qualification, with very few of these qualifications being in the more serious forms of the adverse opinion or the disclaimer. Most qualifications related to disagreements on balance‐sheet values or technical breaches of accounting standards. Divergences were found between the frequency and types of qualifications issued by the different audit firms.