The 2014 ACCA international public sector was held in London on 4 December 2014. The theme of the conference was 'putting finance into politics'.
The conference discussed how to achieve sound financial management and sustainable public finances when so much of the focus is on the short-term political cycle.
It explored what contribution financial accounting and reporting make to effective decision-making, whether governments can be effectively held to account and whether the drive to deliver efficiencies is compromising ethical standards.
This was a timely conference on how financial reporting and auditing are developing to improve decision-making, accountability and transparency for public spending.
There was an excellent line up of speakers from IFAC, Victorian Audit Office –Australia, Ministry of Finance – Northern Ireland, Ministry of Finance – Sri Lanka, Durham University, Manchester University, and more.