The Economic Consequences of IFRS 16: Evidence from Australia

Onie, Sebastian

The Economic Consequences of IFRS 16: Evidence from Australia

Onie, Sebastian

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Publication Type:: Thesis
Issue Date:: 2025

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Onie, Sebastian
dc.date.accessioned	2026-04-17T07:54:12Z
dc.date.available	2026-04-17T07:54:12Z
dc.date.issued	2025
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/194755
dc.description	University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Business.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.description.abstract	This thesis examines the change in lease accounting surrounding the adoption of IFRS 16 within the Australian context. It explores how firms responded to the requirement to capitalise leases on the balance sheet and the resulting economic and reporting consequences. Using evidence from Australian listed companies, this thesis documents how lease-intensive firms adjusted their financing and investment behaviour in anticipation of the new standard and assesses whether IFRS 16 improved the relevance of financial information for users. The findings reveal that while the standard significantly altered reporting practices, firms with high reliance on leases faced limited flexibility to change underlying economic arrangements. Overall, the research highlights the varied impacts of IFRS 16 across industries and reinforces the importance of an evidence-based approach to standard setting, ensuring that accounting reforms reflect both the informational needs of users and the practical realities faced by preparers.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.format	Thesis (PhD)
dc.language.iso	en	en_US.UTF-8
dc.relation	https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/194755/1/thesis.pdf
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights	The author owns the copyright in this thesis including all reproduction and reuse rights for the work. The work may not be altered without the permission of the copyright owner. Attribution is essential when quoting or paraphrasing from this thesis.
dc.rights	© 2025 Sebastian Onie
dc.rights	au.edu.uts.lib/cph
dc.title	The Economic Consequences of IFRS 16: Evidence from Australia	en_US.UTF-8
dc.type	Thesis
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*

Abstract:

This thesis examines the change in lease accounting surrounding the adoption of IFRS 16 within the Australian context. It explores how firms responded to the requirement to capitalise leases on the balance sheet and the resulting economic and reporting consequences. Using evidence from Australian listed companies, this thesis documents how lease-intensive firms adjusted their financing and investment behaviour in anticipation of the new standard and assesses whether IFRS 16 improved the relevance of financial information for users. The findings reveal that while the standard significantly altered reporting practices, firms with high reliance on leases faced limited flexibility to change underlying economic arrangements. Overall, the research highlights the varied impacts of IFRS 16 across industries and reinforces the importance of an evidence-based approach to standard setting, ensuring that accounting reforms reflect both the informational needs of users and the practical realities faced by preparers.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/194755