FRD 102
Inventories
Purpose
To prescribe cost formulas applicable to the measurement of inventories.
Application
Applies to all entities defined as either a public body or a department under
section 3 of the Financial Management Act 1994. Application by State
owned corporations is encouraged.
Requirement
Measurement cost formulas:

Water must not be recognised as inventory in accordance with FRD 5
Accounting for Water as Inventory.

Land held for sale inventories must be measured on a ”specific
identification of cost” basis.

High value, low volume inventory items must be measured on a
”specific identification of cost” basis.

All other inventories must be measured using the ”weighted average
cost” (WAC) formula. An exception is allowed for the inventories of
entities, that as of the date of transition to A-IFRS, are utilising
inventory systems that apply the ‘first-in-first-out’ (FIFO) formula. If
material, inventory measured on this basis must be separately
disclosed in the entity’s financial report.
Operative Date
Annual reporting periods commencing on or after 1 January 2005. Comparative
information prepared for these reporting periods is to be restated as if these
requirements had always applied.
First-time Adoption
Under AASB 1 First-time Adoption of Australian Equivalents to International
Accounting Standards (A-IFRS) July 2004, any adjustments (arising from either
remeasuring inventories at 1 July 2004 on a different basis to that currently
applied or recognising inventories for the first time) will be made against
accumulated funds at the date of transition to A-IFRS.
Definitions
Refer to AASB 102 for the following definitions:
Inventories (paragraph 6)
Net realisable value (paragraph 6)
Current replacement cost (paragraph Aus 6.1)
Inventories held for distribution (paragraph Aus 6.1)
Specific identification of cost (paragraph 23)
First-in-first-out (paragraph 27)
Weighted average cost (paragraph 27)
Guidance
The above cost measurement requirement of this FRD does not eliminate the
need for inventories to be measured on an item-by-item basis at the lower of cost
(refer to requirement above) and net realisable value, or in the case of inventories
held for distribution by not-for-profit entities, to be measured at the lower of cost
and current replacement cost.
FRD 102 “Inventories” (December 2004)
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FRD 102
Inventories
Paragraph 8 of AASB 116 Property, Plant and Equipment advises, ”Spare parts
and servicing equipment are usually carried as inventory and recognised in profit
or loss as consumed. However, major spare parts and stand-by equipment
qualify as property, plant and equipment when an entity expects to use them
during more than one period. Similarly, if the spare parts and servicing equipment
can be used only in connection with an item of property, plant and equipment,
they should be accounted for and depreciated as property, plant and equipment”.
In particular circumstances assets held for sale or surplus assets may meet
criteria to be classified as held for sale (refer to AASB 5 Non-current Assets Held
for Sale and Discontinued Operations, paragraph 6).
Other than land held for sale and high value, low volume items, all other
inventories are required to be measured using the WAC method. However, an
exception to this requirement has been given to entities that prior to the date of
transition to A-IFRS were using inventory systems configured to measure such
inventories using the FIFO method.
This concession has been granted because the differences resulting from the use
of FIFO method by those entities is considered to be immaterial from the
whole-of-State perspective. However, it is expected that entities that have applied
this concession to use the FIFO method will change to WAC method when they
upgrade/replace their inventory systems.
Specific identification of cost is considered to be appropriate to inventory items
that are not ordinarily interchangeable (such as land held for sale) and high
value/low volume inventory items that are ordinarily accounted for separately.
Obviously each item of such inventories must be separately identifiable. Land held
for sale inventories, is intended to apply to entities whose primary intention is to
develop land for sale and/or to hold land for trading purposes.
Relevant
Pronouncements
Background

AASB 1 First-time Adoption of Australian Equivalents to International
Accounting Standards (July 2004)

AASB 101 Presentation of Financial Statements (July 2004)

AASB 102 Inventories (July 2004)

AASB 5 Non-current Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations
(July 2004)

AASB 116 Property, Plant and Equipment (July 2004)

FRD 5 Accounting for Water as Inventory (June 2003)
AASB 102 requires an entity to apply the same cost formula to all inventories
having a similar nature and use (to the entity), using any of the following methods:

Specific identification of cost;

FIFO; or

WAC.
To ensure consistency of same cost formula application to all inventories having a
similar nature and use across the economic entity of State of Victoria, this FRD
limits the choice of available cost formulas to:

Specific identification of cost; and

WAC
FRD 102 “Inventories” (December 2004)
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FRD 102
Inventories
Model for Disclosure
AASB 101 requires disclosure of accounting policies used that are relevant to
within Financial Report gaining an understanding of the financial report. The following disclosure may be
deemed appropriate.
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Note:
Inventories
Inventories include goods and other property held either for sale or for distribution
at no or nominal cost in the ordinary course of business operations. It includes
land held for sale and excludes depreciable assets.
Inventories held for distribution are measured at the lower of cost and current
replacement cost. All other inventories, including land held for sale, are measured
at the lower of cost and net realisable value.
Cost is assigned to land for sale (undeveloped, under development and
developed) and [identify classes] high value, low volume inventory items on a
specific identification of cost basis.
Cost for all other inventory is measured on the basis of weighted average cost.
FRD 102 “Inventories” (December 2004)
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