IIA Standards Should Apply to all Internal Audit Staff

IIA has twice been called as a witness to the PJC inquiry into Ethics and Professionalism and has been requested to provide answers to questions on notice. A major theme at the hearings has been how to demonstrate professionalism, which we do through the GAIS, while only 30% of those calling themselves internal auditors are bound by them.  

Regulation has been touted, but the IIA has called for a modest enhancement to self-regulation:      

  1. Firms must have their own internal audit function that complies with the Standards, including having 5-yearly independent quality assessments (EQA) before they can undertake government work. 
  2. Firms undertaking internal audit work for government clients must be: 
  3. Led by an IIA ‘Certified Internal Auditor’. (CIA) and an IIA Professional Member 
  4. staffed by IIA Members 
  5. completed according to the Standards 
  6. subject to an EQA 
  7. To be eligible to be on a government panel for any audit, assurance, or consultancy services (not just internal audit), Firms are to confirm that all their internal audit staff are IIA Members. 

If we want the profession to be held in the esteem it deserves, we need to have internal auditors held to the same high professional standards – no free-riders. You can read more here: