More annual reports from Freelancer Limited:
2023 ReportPeers and competitors of Freelancer Limited:
Ameri Holdings, Inc.ACN 141 959 042
2
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT contents
Chairman’s Letter
Review of Operations
Directors’ Report
Auditor’s Independence Declaration
Corporate Governance Statement
Consolidated Statement of Profit or Loss and
Other Comprehensive Income
Consolidated Statement of Financial Position
Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows
Notes to the Financial Statements
Directors’ Declaration
Independent Auditor’s Report
Additional ASX Information
Corporate Directory
5
9
28
36
37
42
43
44
45
46
73
74
76
78
3 3
Freelancer is the world’s largest
freelancing and crowdsourcing
marketplace by total number of users
and number of projects posted.
We help small businesses,
startups and entrepreneurs turn that
spark of an idea into reality.
We are changing lives in the
developing world by providing
opportunity and income.
4 4
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT CHAIRMAN’S LETTER
Dear Shareholder
In 2014, the Company delivered record financial
results with a 39% increase in net revenue on
the prior year to $26.1 million. Gross Payment
Volume in FY14 was $103.7 million (+23% on
the prior year). As at 31 December 2014, the
Company held cash and equivalents of $20.2
million.
Freelancer is a high growth Internet company
and reflects this consistently with high growth
in net revenues each year (FY10 +129%,
FY11 +37%, FY12 +64%, FY13 +77% and FY14
+39%), reflecting growth in marketplace
volume, increased efficiency and quality of the
marketplace and increased sales of value added
services.
Over the 2014 financial year, the Company
experienced significant growth in users, projects
and contests posted, bringing the total number
of registered users to 14.3 million, and the total
number of projects and contests posted to 6.9
million, representing a total budget of over $2.5
billion. This further affirmed our leading global
position as the world’s largest freelancing and
crowdsourcing marketplace by total number of
users and number of projects posted.
In 2014, our focus was growth in project &
contest volume, international growth in both
countries and languages, growth in mobile
usage and building out the Freelancer product
set and features as well as user experience. We
built better tools to communicate & collaborate,
improved our internal algorithms including
matchmaking. We improved the customer
experience in multiple dimensions. We acquired
Warrior Forum, the world’s largest Internet
marketing forum & marketplace now boasting
over 900,000 users, as well as Zlecenia.przez.
net (“Work through the Net”), which was Poland’s
leading marketplace dedicated to a range of
online categories of work.
Freelancer is a very rare and exceptional
company. What we do actually makes a
difference. We change lives. We help lift people
out of poverty. We help people feed their
families. We help entrepreneurs build businesses.
We help people build products and services that
change the world.
Freelancer makes a real difference in the world
and changes lives.
Our long term mission is to beneficially change
one billion people’s lives on this planet by
providing them with a job sourced through
our platform. We are still in the very early days
of this journey, but we’ve made a start. Today,
over 7 million projects have been posted on
Freelancer. It’s a small step towards our goal, but
a significant one.
Freelancer is not just driving a global revolution
in the way we do work; it is also at the nexus
of a series of global macroeconomic trends.
60% of the world’s population- 4 billion
people- are yet to connect to the Internet.
More and more industries will be eaten by
software, and more and more jobs will be
performed with a computer and will head into
the cloud. The world is becoming more and
more flat as everything increasingly becomes
hyperconnected. Finally, the structural
imbalances and skills crunch between the aging
western world workforce and once in a lifetime
boom of people entering the workforce in the
developing world.
Freelancer is the platform that aims to connect
all of this together.
The Board and myself personally wish to thank
and acknowledge the support of all of our staff,
shareholders and our 14 million users around the
world. None of this would have been possible
without your encouragement and contribution.
Performance Highlights
2014
2013
2012
Net revenue
$26.1 million
$18.8 million
$10.6 million
Gross Payment Volume (GPV)
$103.7 million
$84.4 million
$50.8 million
Year end cash and equivalents
$20.2 million
$24.4 million
$9.7 million
Total number of registered users
14.3 million
9.7 million
6.9 million
Total number of projects & contests posted
6.9 million
5.3 million
4.1 million
Matt Barrie
Chairman
Freelancer Limited
5 5
14.3
MILLION USERS
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
-
FY00
FY01
FY02
FY03
FY04
FY05
FY06
FY07
FY08
FY09
FY10
FY11
FY12
FY13
FY14
Registered Users1 (millions)
Notes
1. User data includes all users from acquired marketplaces. Prior to May 2009, all data is from acquired marketplaces.
6
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT 6.9
MILLION PROJECTS
& CONTESTS
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
-
FY00
FY01
FY02
FY03
FY04
FY05
FY06
FY07
FY08
FY09
FY10
FY11
FY12
FY13
FY14
Number of Posted Projects & Contests1 (millions)
Notes
1. Project and contest data includes all projects from acquired marketplaces. Prior to May 2009, all data is from acquired marketplaces.
7
8
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT REVIEW OF OPERATIONS
Key performance highlights
Year ended 31 December
Audited financial metrics
Net Revenue
Gross Profit
Gross margin (%)
Operating EBITDA1
Operating EBIT1
Operating NPAT1
Operational metrics (unaudited)
New Registered Users (total)2 (millions)
Number of Projects & Contests Posted2 (millions)
Gross Payment Volume3
Take rate4 (%)
FY14
$m
26.1
22.8
87.1%
(2.1)
(2.4)
(1.5)
4.6
1.6
103.7
25.1%
REVIEW OF OPERATIONS
FY13
$m
18.8
16.4
87.6%
1.2
1.0
1.1
2.9
1.2
84.4
22.2%
% Change
39%
38%
(0.6)%
-
-
-
60%
31%
23%
13%
The Company experienced excellent growth within its online
marketplace in the 12 months ended 31 December 2014 (FY14),
resulting in a revenue increase of 39% year on year.
After its successful capital raising via IPO in November 2013,
the Company accelerated its investment in product, staffing
and infrastructure globally. As a result of the continued focus
on reinvesting for top line growth, the Company delivered an
operating EBITDA of $(2.1) million and break even operating
cash flow of $(0.1) million in FY14.
Marketplace Growth
The Company’s revenue is primarily generated from new and
existing users posting and fulfilling projects and crowdsourcing
contests on Freelancer.com and its various regional websites.
Freelancer’s registered user base (including both employers
and freelancers) grew exceptionally well, increasing by 47% (4.6
million new users) to 14.3 million in total in FY14 (including 0.9
million from acquisitions). This represents a large increase of
60% over the number of new users that registered in the prior
year (FY13 grew by 2.9 million new users to 9.7 million in total).
Users are acquired from a variety of sources including search
engine optimisation (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM),
media and public relations work, events, user referrals,
competitions, traditional advertising, email marketing and
business combinations.
The Company’s main user acquisition focus is on attracting
new employers, being those users who post projects
and contests, and, therefore create demand in the online
marketplace. However, the Company also seeks to ensure
that there is a sufficient supply of freelancers across regional,
language and skill specific segments of the marketplace in
order to maximise marketplace liquidity and network effects.
Employers accomplish work by posting projects (outsourcing),
however work can also be performed through posting contests
(crowdsourcing) and direct hires via the Company’s freelancer
directory. The total number of projects and contests posted
on Freelancer.com increased by 32% to 6.9 million in FY14 (1.6
million new projects and contests in the year). This compares
to FY13 which saw 1.2 million new projects and contests in the
year, growing to 5.3 million total posted.
Notes
1. Exclusive of expensed IPO costs of $394k ($275k net of tax) and non-cash share based payments expense of $33k in FY13 and $388k in FY14.
2. User and project/contest data includes all users and projects/contests from acquired marketplaces.
3. Gross Payment Volume (GPV) is calculated as the total payments to Freelancer users for products and services transacted through the Freelancer
website plus total Freelancer revenue.
4. Take rate is calculated as Net Revenue divided by Gross Payment Volume.
9
REVIEW OF OPERATIONS
26.1
103.7
26.1
103.7
Net revenue
Gross margin
18.8
GPV
Take rate
84.4
25.1%
Net revenue
Gross margin
18.8
GPV
Take rate
84.4
25.1%
86.7%
87.4%
87.6%
87.1%
82.6%
22.2%
20.9%
18.1%
16.8%
50.8
86.7%
87.4%
87.6%
87.1%
82.6%
10.6
10.6
6.5
4.7
35.6
28.0
6.5
4.7
22.2%
20.9%
18.1%
16.8%
50.8
35.6
28.0
FY10
FY11
FY12
FY13
FY14
FY10
FY11
FY12
FY13
FY14
FY10
FY11
FY12
FY13
FY14
FY10
FY11
FY12
FY13
FY14
Gross Payment Volume1 ($ million) and Take Rate2 (%)
Net Revenue ($ million) and Gross Margin (%)
Revenue & gross margin performance
The Company achieved Net Revenue of $26.1 million in FY14
(on Gross Payment Volume of $103.7 million), representing
39% growth on the previous corresponding period.
Contributing factors to the growth in Net Revenue for FY14
included both overall growth in marketplace volumes,
increased efficiency and quality of the marketplace and
increased sales of value added services (non-commission
based revenues).
The Company’s gross margin of 87.1% in FY14 remained in
line with the previous corresponding period (FY13: 87.6%). The
Company’s cost of sales predominantly consist of transaction
costs that are incurred from the various gateways relied upon
to process user payments, as well as various provisions taken
for credit card chargebacks and fraud risks.
Operating performance
Expansion of International Offices and Staffing
In line with its strategy of reinvesting for topline growth, the
Company expanded its international footprint and increased its
investment in talent in FY14.
As part of this in FY14 the Company grew the size of its offices
and staff in Sydney and Manila and opened new offices in
London and Vancouver.
The Sydney headquarters relocated from two occupancies at
Jones Bay Wharf totalling 750m2 to new premises of 1800m2
in World Square. The Manila regional office moved from Makati
Sky Plaza with 761m2 to two floors in Bonifacio Global City
totalling 2600m2. A London office opened in Angel to better
service the European market, and an office in downtown
Vancouver opened to better service the North American
market.
NPAT and EBITDA
As a result of the accelerated investment for future growth,
the Company reported an operating net loss after tax of $1.5
million (FY13 Operating NPAT: $1.1 million) and operating loss
before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of $2.1
million (FY13 Operating EBITDA: $1.2 million).3
Reported Net Loss After Tax of $1.9 million in FY14 included a
tax benefit of $1.0 million (FY13 NPAT: $0.8 million).
Notes
1. Gross Payment Volume (GPV) is calculated as the total payments to Freelancer users for products and services transacted through the Freelancer
website plus total Freelancer Revenue. Based on Freelancer’s unaudited management accounts which have not been subject to an auditors review.
2. Take rate is calculated as Net Revenue divided by Gross Payment Volume.
3. Exclusive of expensed IPO costs of $394k ($275k net of tax) and non-cash share based payments expense of $33k in FY13 and $388k in FY14.
10
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT Full time equivalent staff, 31-Dec
Sydney
Manila
Vancouver
London
Total
2014
100
280
7
3
390
REVIEW OF OPERATIONS
2013
80
217
-
-
297
Growth Y/Y
25%
29%
-
-
31%
Cash Flow and Balance Sheet Strength
Better Tools To Communicate & Collaborate
Despite the increased investment in staff and its international
expansion to support future growth, the Company again broke
even with operating cash ($0.1 million outflow) in FY14 (FY13:
$0.2 million inflow). This result is in line with the Company’s
aim to maximise re-investment in product development and
top-line growth.
Capital expenditure on tangible assets was $0.9 million in FY14,
representing a step up on the previous year due to the opening
of new offices in London and Vancouver, and the significant
expansions of the Company’s Manila support office and Sydney
headquarters (FY13: $0.3 million).
The Company acquired several complementary assets during
FY14 for a total consideration of approximately $3.8 million,
including:
•
•
the world’s largest Internet marketing marketplace &
community, Warrior Forum;
the leading pure-play online services marketplace in
Poland, Zlecenia.przez.net;
• a virtual content marketplace, fantero.com; and
• a technology startup conference & community, SydStart.
As at 31 December 2014, the Company held cash and
equivalents of $20.2 million, providing the Company with
sufficient flexibility to pursue growth via organic channels.
Key Product & Operational Highlights
In FY14 we embarked on a number of initiatives with the
product:
International Growth in Countries and Languages
In FY14 Freelancer expanded to be available in 32 languages
and 246 countries, regions and territories. In addition, the
International Team grew projects by 100% year on year in
FY14 in languages other than English. We also developed a
new translation workflow, which streamlines the translation
processes.
Growth in Mobile Usage
Mobile is eating the world. Online work is no exception; we
have seen increased visits to our marketplace from mobile
devices. To offer mobile users a better experience, during
the year we launched a suite of mobile products across all
major platforms; an optimised website for mobile, and native
applications on Android and iOS. Freelancer for Android
shipped its first version in April 2014 and iOS was launched
in November 2014. These initiatives drove a 250% increase in
Monthly Active Users (MAU) of mobile over the second half of
the year. Our apps also maintain a rating of over 4 out of 5 in
the Google and Apple App stores and are seeing spectacular
growth.
Collaboration tools like messaging and time-tracking are key
to delivering a successful project. In addition to providing time-
tracking desktop clients for Windows 7, the company released
Windows 8.1, Linux and Mac versions. The marketplace’s
messaging service was also revamped with a new design and
additional features such as milestone payments.
Better Freelancer Onboarding & Profile Quality
In FY14 the Company improved the marketplace’s onboarding
flow to help activate, retain and to award work to even more
freelancers. There are now more freelancers filling out their
profiles, to a higher standard, which is contributing to the
increased quality of labour supply in the marketplace. This
focus on freelancer onboarding has resulted in increased
bidding activity and award rates for first time freelancers.
Freelancer Contests
Freelancer Contests give employers the ability to crowdsource
work across any of our almost 750 categories. We made a
large number of product improvements to contests that saw
spectacular growth in FY14 with over 82,000 new contests
posted (representing 100% growth on the prior year). This
resulted in US$4.3 million of contest earnings being awarded to
our freelancers.
Improvements to Memberships
In FY14 we introduced a new “Intro” membership plan to allow
even more users to take up paid membership. More features
were added to the marketplace’s membership offering and
further optimisation in paid membership conversions resulted
in an explosive year of growth for membership revenues.
Launch of Freelancer Community
Providing people with opportunities is part of the core mission
of Freelancer.com, and one of the best ways to do this is
to offer its users greater knowledge and education. In late
FY14 the Company launched Freelancer Community (www.
freelancer.com/community), a platform where users can share
their knowledge and expertise with each other and the world.
Community provides a leg up for some of Freelancer’s newer
users, who can now learn new skills and demonstrate their
expertise to potential employers.
Improvement in Agile Development
Methodologies
During the year we standardised our software development
practices to align with SCRUM/KANBAN methodologies.
These reforms improved visibility into progress of our software
projects. Also, the changes have resulted in a dramatic increase
in the frequency and quality of software releases to our website
and our mobile apps.
11
REVIEW OF OPERATIONS
Customer Experience
Other Acquisitions
In March 2014, the Company acquired Poland’s largest
freelance marketplace dedicated to online work, Zlecenia.
przez.net (“Work through the Net”). Founded in 2004, Zlecenia.
przez.net was Poland’s leading marketplace dedicated to a
range of online categories of work. The Company successfully
integrated the marketplace’s 85,000 users and 115,000
projects into the Freelancer.com marketplace, now operating
via a customised regional website, www.freelancer.pl, which
supports the Polish Zloty currency.
In April 2014, the Company acquired Fantero (www.fantero.
com), a leading virtual content marketplace within the design
and freelance communities. Populated with a collection of
almost 1 million unique items of digital content from over
100,000 users, the marketplace specializes in stock photos,
web templates, audio, music, flash and video files as well as 3D
models, plugins and scripts. This diverse range of content is
expected to be a valuable resource for Freelancer’s user base.
In November 2014, the Company acquired SydStart
(www.sydstart.com), Australia’s largest technology startup
conference, expo and professional community including
around 5,000 technology startup professionals, investors
and ecosystem participants. Freelancer has been a significant
sponsor of SydStart since 2011 and will continue to host the
community to further develop Australia’s technology market.
Our Customer Experience team respond to questions or
queries from freelancers or employers for assistance. It’s
important for repeat business to maintain a strong Customer
Experience team but also to reduce the volume of support
tickets and chat sessions from product improvements that
make the user experience better.
In FY14 the Customer Experience team only required
headcount growth of 15% representing half the growth rate of
projects (31%). During this time, we also maintained the time
targets in which we respond to customers. In addition, we
improved our Net Promoter Score by 8% through a focus on
training and quality control of interactions. We will continue
to improve our user experience through 2015 to improve
our customer experience and satisfaction while driving down
marginal support costs.
Launch of the Recruiter Program
The Recruiter Program, launched this year, offers an optional
upgrade that allows employers to use the services of a recruiter
to find the most suitable freelancers for their projects. Our
recruiting agents now cover all time zones and speak in 15
different languages.
Warrior Forum
In April 2014, Freelancer.com acquired the world’s largest
Internet marketing community and marketplace, Warrior
Forum. Within three months, we released Warrior Payments,
an all-in-one payment, affiliate and distribution platform for
digital products and services. Since launch, we’ve introduced
in demand features including sales funnels, joint ventures and
integrated with the world’s top email marketing platforms.
Warrior Payments has quickly become the preferred platform
for selling on Warrior Forum, attracting top tier product
creators who have used the platform to sell, distribute and
recruit affiliates for their digital products and services.
In May 2014 we introduced Warrior Ask Me Anything (WAMA)
events via Warrior TV, which are live Q&A sessions with some
of the finest Internet marketers and entrepreneurs in the
world. We’ve featured some of the biggest names in Internet
Marketing including Matt Bacak, Noah Kagan and Rand Fishkin,
who have enriched the community with their exceptional
online business and marketing expertise.
As of February 2015, Warrior Forum community consists of
over 900,000 passionate online marketers, including Vice
Presidents, Chief Marketing and Chief Growth Officers from
some of the top Internet companies in the world.
Launch of Freemarket.com
In September 2014, the launch of Freemarket.com split an
active domain & website marketplace in Warrior Forum out to
a dedicated site. Freelancer.com already builds a substantial
portion of the Internet, with almost 4 million website projects
to date having been posted on the site. Our long term mission
is to allow this substantial portion of the Internet to be
bought and sold via Freemarket.com. It is early days, however
Freemarket.com already has over 8,500 websites and domains
listed. Key features released to date include bulk listings
(to help large website and domain name holders list their
inventory), new search filters and payment verification.
12
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT S Y D N E Y M A N I L A L O N D O N V A N C O U V E R
13
We’re defining
the future of
online work
T H E F R E E L A N C E R E X P E R I E N C E
Freelancer.com is at the vanguard of
revolutionising the way the world works.
We empower small business, startups and
entrepreneurs to turn their spark of an idea
into reality with a global always-on
digital workforce.
We provide a world of opportunity for millions
of freelancers from all over the world
by giving them access to a global client base.
14
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT
W I N N E R O F
4 W E B B Y AWA R D S
W I N N E R O F
1 0 S T E V I E AWA R D S
4.8 million
7.1 million+
64 million
C O N T E S T E N T R I E S
P R O J E C T S & C O N T E S T S P O S T E D
B I D S O N P R O J E C T S
15
16
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT 17
Stay in touch with your contacts,
manage projects and more.
It’s Freelancer... anywhere you go.
250%
M A U G R O W T H
I N 2 H - 1 4
18
3 million
4
M E S S A G E S V I A M O B I L E
O U T O F 5 S T A R R A T I N G I N
T H E A P P S T O R E S
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT
900,000+ of the world’s top
Internet marketers to help
grow your online business.
900k+
U S E R S
8.3 million
50k+
P O S T S
M A R K E T P L A C E O F F E R S
19
Over 82,000 contests posted in 2014.
An amazing 100% year on year growth!
154k+
4.8 million
$10.5 million
C O N T E S T S L A U N C H E D
C O N T E S T E N T R I E S
D I S T R I B U T E D T O F R E E L A N C E R S
20
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT Helping millions of entrepreneurs
like you to buy and sell websites.
4.2 million
W E B S I T E P R O J E C T S
P O S T E D O N F R E E L A N C E R
8.7k+
$1 million
C U R R E N T L I S T I N G S
H I G H E S T C U R R E N T L I S T I N G
21
Freelancer.com is a great place for Internet
professionals. I am able to do work anywhere, anytime.
Thanks to the Freelancer.com team!
Moshiur R.
Internet Marketering
Dhaka, Bangladesh
5.0 / 5.0 rating, 72 reviews
22
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT After two years I’ve been doing really well on
Freelancer.com. The earnings are very good and now
I have a lot of respect among my friends and family
members. Thanks Freelancer for everything!
Shahzaib S.
Graphic Designer
Karachi, Pakistan
4.9 / 5.0 rating, 67 reviews
23
OUR ONLINE ECONOMY
24
24
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT
The above diagram illustrates the Freelancer online economy. The pink lines indicate
where projects are being posted by employers, and the blue lines indicate where the
projects are being performed by freelancers. Thicker lines indicate a higher dollar
volume of work. White dots indicate the location of Freelancer’s users. Edges are
sampled data from awarded projects in 2014.
25
25
ECONOMIC GROWTH IN 2014
The diagram below illustrates the Freelancer online economy. The pink lines indicate
where projects are being posted by employers, and the blue lines indicate where the
projects are being performed by freelancers. Thicker lines indicate a higher dollar volume
of work. White dots indicate the location of Freelancer’s users. Edges are sampled data
from awarded projects in the periods indicated.
2013
26
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT
ECONOMIC GROWTH IN 2014
2014
27
DIRECTORS’
REPORT
Your Directors submit the
financial report of Freelancer
Limited (the Company) for
the year ended 31 December
2014. In order to comply
with the provisions of the
Corporations Act 2001, the
Directors report as follows.
The names and particulars
of the directors of the
Company during or since
the end of the financial year
(Directors) are:
28
Matt Barrie
Executive Chairman (appointed 10 April 2010)
BE (Hons I) BSc (Hons I)
GDipAppFin MAppFin MSEE (Stanford)
GAICD SEP FIEAust
Founder and Executive Chairman of the Company
• Serial entrepreneur with extensive experience and
knowledge in the technology sector. Previously co-
founded and was CEO of Sensory Networks Inc., a vendor
of high performance network security processors, which
was acquired by Intel Corporation Inc. in 2013.
• Adjunct Associate Professor at the Department of
Electrical and Information Engineering at the University of
Sydney. Co-author of over 20 US patent applications.
• Qualifications include first class honours degrees in
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the
University of Sydney, Masters in Applied Finance from
Macquarie University, Masters in Electrical Engineering
from Stanford, California, Graduate of the Stanford
Executive Program at the Graduate School of Business,
Fellow of the Institute of Engineers Australia and
Councillor of the Electrical and Information Engineering
Foundation at the University of Sydney.
• Relevant interest in 206,408,704 fully paid ordinary
shares, including a relevant interest in 5,873,817 fully paid
ordinary shares by virtue of having a voting power of over
20% in the Company, which has a relevant interest as a
result of trading restrictions over shares issued under the
Employee Share Plan.
• Beneficial interest in 200,534,887 fully paid ordinary
shares (representing 46.0% of issued capital). Member of
the Nomination and Remuneration Committee and the
Audit Committee.
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT Directors’ Report
Directors’ Report
Darren Williams
Simon Clausen
Executive Director (appointed 10 April 2010)
Non-Executive Director (appointed 10 April 2010)
BSc (Hons I) PhD (Computer Science)
Chief Technology Officer and Executive Director of the
Company
Founding investor and Non-Executive Director of the
Company
• Extensive experience in computer security, protocols,
networking and software. Previously co-founded and was
CTO (and subsequently CEO) of Sensory Networks Inc., a
vendor of high performance network security processors,
which was acquired by Intel Corporation Inc. in 2013.
• Previously lectured Computer Science at the University of
Sydney. Author of numerous articles, patents and papers
relating to security technology, software and networking.
• Qualifications include first class honours degree in
Computer Science and a Ph.D. in Computer Science
specialising in computer networking from the University
of Sydney.
• Beneficial and relevant interest in 12,627,165 fully paid
ordinary shares (representing 2.9% of issued capital).
• Member of the Nomination and Remuneration
Committee and the Audit Committee.
• Extensive experience in operating and investing in high
growth technology businesses in both Australia and
the United States. Previously founded and was CEO
of WinGuides, which later became PC Tools and was
acquired by Symantec Corporation in October 2008.
• Currently the sole director of Startive Ventures, a
specialised technology venture fund that actively
maintains investments in a number of companies globally.
Other directorships include LatAm Autos Limited since
2014.
• Relevant interest in 177,696,230 fully paid ordinary
shares, including a relevant interest in 6,273,817 fully paid
ordinary shares by virtue of having a voting power of over
20% in the Company, which has a relevant interest as a
result of trading restrictions over shares issued under the
Employee Share Plan.
• Beneficial interest in 171,422,413 fully paid ordinary shares
(representing 39.3% of issued capital).
• Member of the Nomination and Remuneration
Committee and the Audit Committee.
29
DIRECTORS’ REPORT
Company Secretary
Environmental regulations
Mr Neil Katz held the position of Company Secretary during
and at the end of the financial year (appointed 9 March 2012).
He has been with the Group since 2009 and is also the Chief
Financial Officer.
The operations of the Group do not involve any activities
that have a marked influence on the environment. As such,
the Directors are not aware of any material issues affecting
the Group or its compliance with the relevant environment
agencies or regulatory authorities.
Principal activities
The principal activity of the consolidated entity (the Group)
during the financial year was the provision of an online
outsourcing marketplace. There were no significant changes in
the nature of the principal activities during the financial year.
Refer also to the Chairman’s letter and commentary in the
Review of Operations on pages 9 to 12 which forms part of
the Directors’ Report for the financial year ended 31 December
2014.
Review of operations
The Group’s loss attributable to equity holders of the Company,
after providing for income tax, amounted to $1,847,000 (2013
profit: $753,000).
Refer also to the commentary in the Review of Operations on
pages 9 to 12 which forms part of the Directors’ Report for the
financial year ended 31 December 2014.
Dividends paid or recommended
There have been no dividends paid or provided for the financial
year ended 31 December 2014 (2013: nil).
The Company has established a Dividend Reinvestment Plan
(DRP). The full terms and conditions of the DRP are available
on the Company’s website, www.freelancer.com.
Significant changes in state of affairs
Indemnification of officers and auditors
During the financial year, the Group paid premiums based
on normal commercial terms and conditions to insure all
directors, officers and employees of the Group against the
costs and expenses in defending claims brought against
the individual while performing services for the Group. The
premium paid has not been disclosed as it is subject to
the confidentiality provisions of the insurance policy. The
Company has not otherwise, during or since the financial year,
except to the extent permitted by law, indemnified or agreed
to indemnify an officer or auditor of the Company or of any
related body corporate against a liability incurred as such an
officer or auditor.
The Company has previously entered into a Deed of Indemnity,
Insurance and Access with each of its current Directors: R.M.
Barrie, S.A. Clausen and D.N.J. Williams. The purpose of the
Deed is to:
• confirm and supplement, to the extent permitted by
section 199A of the Corporations Act 2001, the indemnity
provided by the Company in favour of Directors under
the Company’s Constitution;
•
include an obligation, to the extent permitted by section
199B of the Corporations Act 2001, upon the Company
to maintain adequate directors and officers liability
insurance; and
• confirm and supplement the right of access to certain
documents under the Corporations Act.
There have been no significant changes in the state of affairs
for the current financial year.
Rounding off of amounts
Subsequent events
As at the date of this report, the Directors are not aware of
any circumstance that has arisen since 31 December 2014
that has significantly affected, or may significantly affect the
Group’s operations in future financial years, the results of those
operations in future financial years, or the Group’s state of
affairs in future financial years.
Future developments
In future financial years, the Group expects to further its
growth through expansions to other territories organically and
by acquisition, and forming strategic alliances and partnerships.
The Company is an entity to which ASIC Class Order 98/100
applies. Accordingly amounts in the financial report have been
rounded off to the nearest thousand dollars, unless otherwise
stated.
Meetings of Directors
During the financial year five meetings of Directors were held.
Other matters arising during the year were resolved by circular
resolutions.
The following persons acted as Directors of the Company
during the financial year, with attendances to meetings of
Directors as follows:
Director meetings
Audit Committee meetings
Nomination and Remuneration
meetings
Eligible to
attend
Attended
Eligible to
attend
Attended
Eligible to
attend
Attended
R.M. Barrie
S.A. Clausen
D.N.J. Williams
5
5
5
5
5
5
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
30
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT Non-audit services
• N.L. Katz – Chief Financial Officer and Company
Secretary
Details of amounts paid or payable to the auditor for non-audit
services provided during the year by the auditor and its related
parties amounted to $38,000.
Remuneration policy
DIRECTORS’ REPORT
The Directors are satisfied that the provision of non-audit
services in the form of tax compliance services during
the year by the auditor (or another person or firm on the
auditors’ behalf) is compatible with the general standard of
independence for auditors imposed by the Corporations Act.
The Directors are of the opinion that the services as disclosed
in Note 19 to the financial statements do not compromise the
external auditor’s independence, based on advice received
from the Audit Committee, for the following reasons:
• all non-audit services have been reviewed and approved
to ensure that they do not impact the integrity and
objectivity of the auditor; and
• none of the services undermine the general principles
relating to auditor independence as set out in Code
of Conduct APES 110 Code of Ethics for Professional
Accountants issued by the Accounting Professional &
Ethical Standards Board, including reviewing or auditing
the auditors own work, acting in a management or
decision making capacity for the Company, acting as
advocate for the Company or jointly sharing economic
risks and rewards.
Officers of the Company who are former
audit partners of the auditor
There are no officers of the Company who are former audit
partners of Hall Chadwick.
Auditor’s independence declaration
The auditor’s independence declaration is included on page 36
and forms part of the Directors’ Report for the year ended 31
December 2014.
Shares issued under Employee Share Plan
(ESP)
No ESP shares have been granted to Directors during the
financial year. No ESP shares have been granted to Directors
since the end of the financial year.
Proceedings on behalf of Company
No person has applied for leave of Court to bring proceedings
on behalf of the Group or intervene in any proceedings
to which the Group is a party for the purpose of taking
responsibility on behalf of the Group for all or any part of
those proceedings. The Group was not a party to any such
proceedings during the year.
Remuneration Report - audited
This audited Remuneration Report for the Group and which
forms part of the Directors’ Report for the financial year
ended 31 December 2014, details the nature and amount of
remuneration for each Director and the Executives.
Key management personnel comprise:
• R.M. Barrie – Executive Chairman
• S.A. Clausen – Non-Executive Director
• D.N.J. Williams – Executive Director
The performance of the Group depends upon the quality of
its directors and executives. The Group recognises the need
to attract, motivate and retain highly skilled directors and
executives.
The Board of Directors, through its Nomination and
Remuneration Committee, accepts responsibility for
determining and reviewing remuneration arrangements for the
Directors and Executives. The Nomination and Remuneration
Committee assesses the appropriateness of the nature and
amount of remuneration of Directors and Executives on a
periodic basis by reference to relevant employment market
conditions, giving due consideration to the overall profitability
and financial resources of the Group, with the objective of
ensuring maximum stakeholder benefit from the retention of a
high quality Board and executive team.
Non-Executive Director remuneration
Fees and payments to Non-Executive Directors reflect the
demands which are made of the Directors in fulfilling their
responsibilities. Non-Executive Director fees are reviewed
annually by the Board. The Constitution of the Company
provides that the Non-Executive Directors of the Company are
entitled to such remuneration, as determined by the Board,
which must not exceed in aggregate the maximum amount
determined by the Company in general meeting. The most
recent determination was at a General Meeting held on 9
October 2013 where the shareholders approved an aggregate
remuneration of $300,000. Annual Non-Executive Directors’
fees currently agreed to be paid by the Company are $25,000
to S.A. Clausen inclusive of superannuation.
Executive and Executive Director remuneration
Fixed remuneration consists of base remuneration (which is
calculated on a total cost basis and includes any fringe benefits
tax charges related to employee benefits including motor
vehicles), as well as employer contributions to superannuation
funds.
Executive and Executive Director remuneration levels are
reviewed annually by the Nomination and Remuneration
Committee through a process that considers the overall
performance of the Group. The Executive Directors are not
paid any director fees in addition to their fixed remuneration as
Executives.
Performance based remuneration
Performance based remuneration is at the discretion of the
Nomination and Remuneration Committee. These can take
the form of cash bonuses or invitations to participate in the
Company’s Employee Share Plan (ESP).
31
DIRECTORS’ REPORT
Remuneration of Directors and Executives
Remuneration shown below relates to the period in which the Director or Executive was a member of key management personnel.
Amounts below have either been paid out or accrued in the period.
Short-term benefits
Post
employment
benefits
Share
based
payments
Directors’
fees
$
Consulting
fees
$
Cash
salary and
fees
$
Bonus
$
Other
$
Super-
annuation
$
Shares
$
Total
$
Non-Executive Directors:
S.A. Clausen
2014
2013
22,619
3,125
Executive Directors:
R.M. Barrie
2014
2013
D.N.J. Williams
2014
2013
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
111,666
-
-
368,593
275,072
274,600
45,767
Other Key Management Personnel:
N.L. Katz
2014
2013
-
-
-
151,000
262,225
109,260
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2,410
-
-
-
25,029
3,125
32,376
17,583
11,136
-
26,859
26,493
25,744
4,233
16,038
3,341
20,047
4,177
443,866
322,490
331,527
165,843
11,136
-
18,095
7,406
19,459
1,800
310,915
269,467
D.N.J. Williams and N.L. Katz were subject to consulting agreements until October 2013 and July 2013 respectively, after which they
each entered into employment agreements.
The remuneration of key management personnel in the years ended 31 December 2013 and 2014 were 100% fixed, and there is no
link between remuneration and the market price of the Company’s shares.
ESP shares
Details of ESP shares in the Company held directly, indirectly or beneficially, by key management personnel (KMP), including their
related parties, is as follows:
Balance
at the start
of the year
Granted /
issued
Released
from
restrictions
Forfeited /
cancelled
Balance at
the end of
the year
Balance of
unvested ESP
shares
Balance of
vested ESP
shares
400,000
500,000
-
-
359,461
1,259,461
200,000
200,000
-
-
-
-
-
-
400,000
500,000
283,334
354,167
(100,000)
(100,000)
459,461
1,359,461
362,107
999,608
-
-
-
-
400,000
500,000
359,461
1,259,461
-
-
-
-
400,000
500,000
359,461
1,259,461
-
-
-
-
116,666
145,833
97,354
359,853
-
-
-
-
2014
Directors:
R.M. Barrie
D.N.J. Williams
Other KMP:
N.L. Katz
Total
2013
Directors:
R.M. Barrie
D.N.J. Williams
Other KMP:
N.L. Katz
Total
32
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT DIRECTORS’ REPORT
Ordinary shares
Details of ordinary shares in the Company held directly, indirectly or beneficially, by key management personnel (KMP), including
their related parties, is as follows:
Balance
at the start
of the year
Received
as part of
remuneration
Purchase of
shares
Sale of
shares
Conversion
of Series A
preference
shares
Share split
Balance at
the end
of the year
2014
Directors:
R.M. Barrie1
S.A. Clausen
D.N.J. Williams2
Other KMP:
N.L. Katz3
Total
2013
Directors:
R.M. Barrie1
S.A. Clausen
D.N.J. Williams
Other KMP:
N.L. Katz
Total
201,330,078
169,939,739
12,233,660
440,000
383,943,477
7,630,001
-
460,000
-
8,090,001
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
84,309
1,482,674
21,505
-
1,588,488
534,000
2,000,000
128,000
440,000
3,102,000
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
201,414,387
171,422,413
12,255,165
440.000
385,531,965
193,166,077
201,330,078
6,381,501
161,558,238
169,939,739
-
-
11,645,660
12,233,660
-
440,000
6,381,501
366,369,975
383,943,477
Series A preference share capital
Details of Series A preference shares in the Company held directly, indirectly or beneficially, by key management personnel (KMP),
including their related parties, is as follows:
Balance
at the start
of the year
Received as part of
remuneration
Purchase of
preference shares
Sale of
preference
shares
Conversion to
ordinary shares
Balance at
the end
of the year
2014
Directors:
S.A. Clausen
Total
2013
Directors:
S.A. Clausen
Total
-
-
6,381,501
6,381,501
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
(6,381,501)
(6,381,501)
Notes
1. 1,279,500 shares as at 31 December 2014 (2013: 1,279,500) are held directly or indirectly by related parties.
2. 128,000 shares as at 31 December 2014 (2013: 128,000) are held directly or indirectly by related parties.
3. 290,000 shares as at 31 December 2014 (2013: 290,000) are held directly or indirectly by related parties.
-
-
-
-
33
DIRECTORS’ REPORT
Loans to directors and key management personnel
The following loan balances are outstanding at the reporting date in relation to remuneration arrangements with Executive Directors
and key management personnel in respect of shares issued under the Employee Share Plan (ESP).
As the ESP is considered in substance a share option, the ESP shares issued and corresponding loan receivable are not recognised
by the Group in its financial statements. The loan receivable does not satisfy the “probable future benefits following to the entity”
criteria of SAC 2 Framework for the Preparation and Presentation of Financial Statements on the basis that the loan is non-recourse.
The ESP shares will not be considered issued to participants until the corresponding loan has been repaid, at which time there will
be an increase in the issued capital and increase in cash. Further information relating to the ESP is set out in the Note 22 to the
financial statements.
Directors:
R.M. Barrie
S.A. Clausen
D.N.J. Williams
Other KMP:
N.L. Katz
Total loans to Directors and KMP
Executive service agreements
Consolidated
2014
$000
200
-
250
180
630
2013
$000
200
-
250
180
630
The employment terms and conditions of Group Executives and KMP are formalised in service agreements.
Chief Executive
Officer
Chief Technology
Officer
Other Executives
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Term: unspecified.
Base remuneration: Reviewed annually by the Nomination and Remuneration Committee.
Bonus entitlements: Determined annually by the Nomination and Remuneration Committee
(capped at 50% of the base remuneration).
Termination notice period: 6 months notice or alternatively in Freelancer’s case, payment in lieu of
notice.
Restraint of trade period: 12 months.
Term: unspecified.
Base remuneration: Reviewed annually by the Nomination and Remuneration Committee.
Bonus entitlements: Determined annually by the Nomination and Remuneration Committee
(capped at 50% of the base remuneration).
Termination notice period: 3 months notice or alternatively in Freelancer’s case, payment in lieu of
notice.
Restraint of trade period: 12 months.
total compensation;
Other Executives are employed under individual executive services agreements. These establish,
amongst other things:
•
•
•
variable notice and termination provisions of up to 3 months, or by the Group without notice in the
event of serious misconduct; and
eligibility to participate in the ESP;
•
restraint and confidentiality provisions.
Other transactions with KMP or their related parties
There were no other transactions conducted between the Group and KMP or their related parties, other than those disclosed above
relating to equity, compensation and loans, that were conducted other than in accordance with normal employee, customer or
supplier relationships on terms no more favourable than those reasonably expected under arm’s length dealings with unrelated
persons, apart from related party transactions disclosed in Note 23 to the financial statements.
34
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT
DIRECTORS’ REPORT
Additional information
The following table shows the net revenue, profits and dividends for the last six years of the Company, as well as the share prices at
the end of the respective financial years.
Revenue ($000s)
Net profit / (loss) ($000s)
Share price at year end ($)
Dividends paid (cents per share)
This concludes the Remuneration Report.
2009
1,983
(529)
n/a
Nil
2010
4,702
555
n/a
Nil
2011
6,460
(476)
n/a
Nil
2012
10,627
728
n/a
Nil
2013
18,761
753
$1.38
Nil
2014
26,087
(1,847)
$0.65
Nil
The Directors’ Report, incorporating the Remuneration Report, is signed in accordance with a resolution of the directors made
pursuant to s298(2) of the Corporations Act 2001.
On behalf of the Directors
Matt Barrie
Chairman
16 February 2015
35
AUDITOR’S INDEPENDENCE DECLARATION
AUDITOR’S INDEPENDENCE DECLARATION
FREELANCER LIMITED
ABN 66 141 959 042
AND CONTROLLED ENTITIES
AUDITOR’S INDEPENDENCE DECLARATION
UNDER SECTION 307C OF THE CORPORATIONS ACT 2001
TO THE DIRECTORS OF FREELANCER LIMITED
I declare that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, during the year ended 31 December
2014 there have been:
a. no contraventions of the auditor independence requirements as set out in the
Corporations Act 2001 in relation to the audit, and
b. no contraventions of any applicable code of professional conduct in relation to the audit.
Hall Chadwick
Level 40, 2 Park Street
Sydney NSW 2000
GRAHAM WEBB
Partner
Dated: 16 February 2015
36
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORTLiability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation. SYDNEY Level 40 2 Park Street Sydney NSW 2000 AustraliaGPO Box 3555 Sydney NSW 2001 Ph: (612) 9263 2600 Fx: (612) 9263 2800 A member of Hall Chadwick Association, an association of separate and independent accounting and consulting firms .www.hallchadwick.com.auChartered Accountants and Business Advisers CORPORATE GOVERNANCE STATEMENT
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE STATEMENT
Freelancer Limited (the Company) is committed to
implementing the highest possible standards of corporate
governance and ensures, wherever possible, that its practices
are consistent with the Second Edition of the Australian
Securities Exchange (ASX) Corporate Governance Council’s
Principles and Recommendations.
Each of the eight principles is listed in turn. In certain
circumstances, due to the size and stage of development of
the Company and its operations, it may not be practicable or
necessary to implement the ASX Principles in their entirety. As
such, the Company has identified the areas of divergence. The
Policies and Charters referred to in this Corporate Governance
Statement are available on the Company’s website,
www.freelancer.com.
Principle 1 – Lay solid foundations for
management and oversight
The Board’s responsibilities are encompassed in a Charter
which is available on the Company’s website,
www.freelancer.com. The Board is responsible for, and
has the authority to determine, all matters relating to the
strategic direction, policies, practices, establishing goals for
management and the operation of the Company. Without
intending to limit this general role of the Board, the specific
functions and responsibilities of the Board include:
1. oversight of the Company, including its control and
accountability systems;
2. appointing and removing the Managing Director;
3. appointing and removing the Company Secretary;
4. Board and executive management development and
succession planning;
5.
input into and final approval of corporate strategy;
6.
input into and final approval of the annual operating
budget (including the capital management budget);
7. approving and monitoring the progress of major capital
expenditure, capital management and acquisitions/
divestitures;
and objectives and monitoring executive management
performance.
Other matters are within the responsibility of management.
The management function is conducted by, or under the
supervision of, the Chief Executive Officer as directed by the
Board (and by officers to whom the management function
is properly delegated by the Chief Executive Officer).
Management must supply the Board with information in a
form, timeframe and quality that will enable the Board to
discharge its duties effectively. Directors are entitled to request
additional information at any time they consider it appropriate.
To assist in carrying out its responsibilities, the Board has
established the following committees of its members. They
are:
• Audit Committee; and
• Nomination and Remuneration Committee.
The Chief Executive Officer and Senior Executive management
have service contracts and position descriptions, setting out
their duties, responsibilities, and conditions of service and
termination entitlements. Any new Directors appointed will
receive formal letters of appointment setting out the key terms,
conditions and expectations of their appointment.
The Chief Executive Officer and Senior Executive management
are subject to a formal performance review process on an
annual basis. The Nomination and Remuneration Committee
reviews the performance of the Chief Executive Officer and
Senior Executive management against clear performance
objectives. A performance review was undertaken in 2014.
Principle 2 – Structure the Board to add
value
The Board determines the Board’s size and composition,
subject to limits imposed by the Company’s Constitution. The
Constitution provides for a minimum of three Directors and
a maximum of ten. At this time the Board comprises of three
Directors, two of whom are executive directors and one non-
executive and all are not independent directors, including the
Chairman.
8. monitoring compliance with all relevant legal, tax and
regulatory obligations;
A Director is deemed to be independent if he or she is a Non-
Executive Director and:
9. reviewing and monitoring systems of risk management
and internal compliance and controls,
10. codes of conduct, continuous disclosure, legal
compliance and other significant corporate policies;
11. at least annually, reviewing the effectiveness of the
Company’s implementation of its risk management
system and internal control framework;
12. monitoring executive management’s performance
and implementation of strategy and policies, including
assessing whether appropriate resources are available;
13. approving and monitoring financial and other reporting
to the market, shareholders, employees and other
stakeholders; and
14. appointment, reappointment or replacement of the
external auditor.
Key responsibilities of the Board include the overseeing of the
strategic direction of the Company, determining its policies
1.
is not a substantial shareholder of the Company or
an officer of, or otherwise associated directly with, a
substantial shareholder of the Company;
2. has not been employed in an executive capacity in
the Company in the last three years, or has not been a
director after ceasing to hold such employment;
3. within the last three years has not been a partner or a
senior management executive with audit responsibilities
of a firm which has acted in the capacity of statutory
auditor of the Company;
4. has not acted as a material consultant, or an employee
materially associated with the service provided, to the
Company in the last three years;
5.
is not a material supplier or customer of the Company, or
an officer of or otherwise associated directly or indirectly
with a material supplier or customer;
37
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE STATEMENT
6. has no material contractual relationship with the
Company other than as a Director; and
7.
is free from any interest or business or other relationship
which could materially interfere with his or her ability
to act in the best interests of the Company and
independently of management.
The test of independence for Directors is set out in detail
under section 8 of the Board Charter, which is available on
the Company’s website, www.freelancer.com. Materiality
thresholds referred to above are assessed on a case-by-case
basis.
The Board does not consist of a majority of independent
Directors and the Chairman is not an Independent Director.
The Board acknowledges the ASX Recommendation that a
majority of the Board should be Independent Directors and
that the Chairman should be an Independent Director. The
Board believes that the Directors are able, and do make,
quality and independent judgement in the best interests of the
Company on all relevant issues before the Board. The Board
considers that the Company is not currently of a size, nor
are its affairs of such complexity, to justify the expense of the
appointment of a majority of independent Directors. The Board
also believes that each of the Directors brings objective and
independent judgement to the Board’s deliberations and that
each of the Directors makes invaluable contributions to the
Company through their deep understanding of the Company’s
business.
The Board aims to attract and maintain a Board which has an
appropriate mix of skills, experience, expertise and diversity.
For the names and particulars of the Directors of the Company
during or since the end of the financial year, refer to the
Directors’ Report.
In order to facilitate independent judgement in decision
making, each Director may seek independent professional
advice at the Company’s expense. If advice is sought by the
Chairman, he must obtain Board approval if the fees for such
advice exceed $50,000 (exclusive of GST), such approval is
not to be unreasonably withheld. Where advice is sought by
the other Directors, prior written approval by the Chairman is
required but approval will not be unreasonably withheld. If the
Chairman refuses to give approval, the matter must be referred
to the Board. All Directors are made aware of the professional
advice sought and obtained.
Matt Barrie exercises both the role of Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of the Company. The Board acknowledges
the ASX Recommendation that these roles should not be
exercised by the same individual. The Board believes that Matt
Barrie is the most appropriate person to lead the Board as
Executive Chairman and that he is able and does bring quality
and independent judgement to all relevant issues falling within
the scope of the role of Chairman and that the Company
as a whole benefits from his long standing experience of its
operations and business relationships.
The Nomination and Remuneration Committee of the
Board comprises of two Executive Directors and one Non-
Executive Director, Messrs. R.M. Barrie, D.N.J. Williams and S.A.
Clausen. None of the committee members are independent.
Mr Williams, who is an Executive Director, is the Committee
Chairman. The Committee Charter which is available on the
Company’s website www.freelancer.com, details the process
and timing for re-election of directors. The Board’s policy for
nomination and appointment of Directors also forms part of
the Charter.
The Company Constitution states that at each Annual General
Meeting (AGM) one-third of the Directors for the time being,
or if their number is not three or a multiple of three, then the
nearest number greater than one-third, shall retire from office.
38
A retiring Director shall be eligible for re-election. No Director
(other than a Managing Director) may hold office without
re-election past the third annual general meeting following
their appointment or three years, whichever is longer or, in the
case of a Director appointed by the Directors as an additional
Director or to fill a casual vacancy, past the next annual general
meeting of the Company. Any Director appointed by the Board
since the last AGM must stand for election at the next AGM.
The Nomination and Remuneration Committee is responsible
for:
1. assisting the Board with establishing a board of
effective composition, size, diversity and commitment
to adequately discharge its responsibilities and duties,
and assist the Board with discharging its responsibilities
to shareholders and other stakeholders to seek to
ensure that the Company has policies to evaluate the
performance of the Board, individual Directors and
executives on (at least) an annual basis;
2. ensuring that the Company’s remuneration policies,
practices and structures are coherent, equitable and
aligned with the long-term interests of the Company
and its shareholders, having regard to relevant policies
in attracting and retaining skilled executives that are
challenging and will create value for shareholders;
3.
the review and monitoring of the Group’s remuneration
and incentive framework applying to Non-Executive
Directors, Executive Directors and Senior Executives and
the associated strategies, systems, policies and processes
implemented, and reported on, by management;
4. ensuring that the Group fairly and responsibly
remunerates Directors and executives, having regard
to the performance of the Company, the performance
of the executives and the general remuneration
environment;
5. ensuring that the Group has policies and procedures
to attract, motivate and retain appropriately skilled and
diverse persons to meet the Group’s needs;
6. approving the remuneration and incentive awards of
Senior Executives based on the recommendations of the
Managing Director; and
7. approval of pools of annual grants of equity and any other
individual equity offers to Senior Executives and other
Executives.
8. The Committee’s functions are to review and make
recommendations to the Board on:
9.
the review and monitoring and recommendation of
changes to the remuneration and incentive framework
(including the equity plan framework and any diversity
considerations) for Non-Executive Directors, Executive
Directors and Senior Executives;
10. the remuneration of Non-Executive Directors;
11. the fixed remuneration levels and incentive awards for the
Managing Director and any other Executive Directors; and
12. performance based measures (financial and non-
financial), targets and performance outcomes under
incentive plans for the Executive Directors and Senior
Executives.
The Board reviews its performance and composition on
an annual basis to ensure that it has the appropriate mix
of expertise and experience. The Board also reviews the
performance and composition of its committees on an annual
basis.
The Nomination and Remuneration Committee meets as
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT frequently as required and at least twice a year. The quorum
for such meetings is two members. Details of the Committee
members’ attendance at Committee meetings are set out in
the Directors’ Report.
Subject to normal privacy requirements, each Director has the
right of access to all of the Company’s records, information
and Senior Executives. They receive regular detailed reports on
financial and operational aspects of the Company’s business
and may request elaboration or explanation of these reports
at any time. Directors and Executives are encouraged to
broaden their knowledge of the Company’s business and to
keep abreast of developments in business more generally by
attendance at relevant courses, seminars, conferences, etc.
The Company meets expenses involved in such activities.
Principle 3 – Promote ethical and
responsible decision-making
The Board recognises the need to observe high standards of
corporate practice and business conduct. Accordingly, the
Board of Directors has adopted a formal Code of Conduct
to be followed by all personnel and officers. The Code of
Conduct also sets out the Company’s policies on various
matters including ethical conduct, business conduct,
compliance, privacy, security of information, bribery and
corruption, and conflicts of interest.
The Code of Conduct is to be followed by all Directors,
officers, employees, consultants of the Company and any
entity related to or owned by the Company, and any other
person when they represent the Company or any entity related
to or owned by the Company. A copy of the Code is made
available to Directors, officers, employees, consultants and
relevant personnel and is available on our website,
www.freelancer.com.
The Board has also implemented a range of procedures
designed to oversee that the Company complies with the law
and achieves high ethical standards in identifying and resolving
or managing conflicts of interest.
As a part of active promotion of high standards of corporate
practice and business conduct, behaviour that does not
comply with the Code is encouraged to be reported.
Protection is afforded to those who report violations in good
faith.
The Company’s Securities Trading Policy generally allows
all Key Management Personnel and other employees of
the Company or a related body corporate of the Company,
consultants and advisers, and any other person designated by
the Board to deal in the Company’s securities other than:
1. during a Blackout Period (the period from the close of
trading on the ASX at the end of each half year and full
year until the close of trading on the day following the
announcement to the ASX of the half year or full year
results, or any other period that the Board specifies from
time to time); or
2. while in possession of inside information concerning the
Company (whether or not it is a Blackout Period) either:
• buy or sell the Company’s securities at any time;
• procure another person to deal in the Company’s
securities in any way; or
• directly or indirectly, communicate the information,
or cause the information to be communicated,
to another person if the person knows, or ought
reasonably to know, that the other person would, or
would be likely to:
• deal in the Company’s securities in any way;
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE STATEMENT
• procure a third person to deal in the
Company’s securities in any way; or
• pass that information onto another person.
All Key Management Personnel and other employees are
prohibited from dealing in the securities of outside companies
about which they acquire inside information through their
position with the Company (whether or not it is a Blackout
Period).
Diversity Policy
In accordance with the ASX Recommendations on diversity,
the Board established a Diversity Policy in 2013 which includes
consideration of:
•
the establishment of measurable objectives for achieving
diversity; and
• a requirement for the Board to assess objectives and the
progress in achieving them.
The Company recognises diversity to encompass ethnicity,
gender, sexual orientation, age, physical abilities, family
status, religious beliefs or other ideologies, and is committed
to creating and maintaining an inclusive and collaborative
workforce. The Company understands that encouraging
diversity in our organisation is not just a socially responsible
necessity, but that it is essential to our continued growth and
vital to a successful future.
Given the size and nature of the current Board, the business
and the industry in which it operates and therefore competes
for talent, the Board determined not to establish measurable
objectives for achieving diversity for the 2014 and 2015
financial years.
As at 31 December 2014, the proportion of women employed
by the Group was as follows:
• Board of Directors: 0%
• Senior Executive positions: 0%
• Total Company workforce: 34%
Workplace Gender Equality
The Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 (WGE Act) puts
a focus on promoting and improving gender equality and
outcomes for both women and men in the workplace. All
non-public sector employers with 100 or more employees are
required to report annually under the WGE Act.
The Group was not required to report under the WGE Act for
the 2013 calendar year, however will be required for the 2014
calendar year. A copy of the Company’s 2014 report to the
Workplace Gender Equality Agency will be made available
on the Company’s website, www.freelancer.com following
completion of the report.
Principle 4 – Safeguard integrity in
financial reporting
The Board has established an Audit Committee comprising
two Executive Directors and one Non-Executive Director, with
appropriate experience.
Each Committee Member must be financially literate, have
familiarity with financial management and an understanding
of the industry in which the Company operates. At least one
Committee Member should have financial expertise (that is,
be a qualified accountant or other financial professional with
financial and accounting experience).
39
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE STATEMENT
Currently, the Committee comprises of Mr R.M. Barrie, Mr
D.N.J. Williams (Chairman) and Mr S.A. Clausen. The members
of the Committee are not independent Directors. The
Chairman of the Committee is not Chairman of the Board.
The Board acknowledges the ASX Recommendations that
the Audit Committee should consist only of non-executive
Directors, have a majority of independent Directors and be
chaired by an independent chair.
Due to the structure of the Board, the Company is not
currently able to comply with this Recommendation.
However, the Board believes that the experience and industry
knowledge of the members of the Audit Committee will ensure
objective and independent judgement in carrying out their
responsibilities on this Committee. The Board will review the
composition of the Audit Committee at an appropriate time in
the future.
Appropriate management and representatives of the external
auditor are to attend Committee meetings, at the invitation
of the Committee Chairman, to provide reports and periodic
presentations to the Committee.
The external auditors have a direct line of communication at
any time to either the Chairman of the Audit Committee or the
Chairman of the Board.
The Audit Committee is responsible for:
1. overseeing the process of financial reporting, internal
control, continuous disclosure, financial and non-
financial risk management and compliance and external
audit;
2. encouraging effective relationships with, and
communication between, the Board, Management and
the Company’s external auditor;
3. evaluating the adequacy of processes and controls
established to identify and manage areas of potential
financial risk and to seek to safeguard the assets of the
Company;
4. overseeing that all proper remedial action is undertaken
to redress areas of weakness;
5. overseeing the Group’s compliance with prescribed
policies;
6. reporting to the Board on any of the above
responsibilities and functions;
7.
recommending to the Board the appointment,
reappointment or replacement of the external auditor;
8. approving rotation of partners of the external auditor;
9. reviewing and approving the audit plans and engagement
letters of the external auditor, including payment of
annual fees and variations to approved fees;
10. reviewing the overall scope of the external audit,
including identified risk areas and any additional agreed-
upon procedures;
11. considering the overall effectiveness and independence
of the external auditor; and
12. resolving any disagreements between management and
the external auditor regarding financial reporting.
The Committee has a formal Charter which is available on the
Company’s website, www.freelancer.com.
The Committee meets as frequently as required and will meet
at least twice a year. The quorum for such meetings is two
members.
Details of the Committee members’ attendance at Committee
40
meetings are set out in the Directors’ Report. The minutes
of each Committee meeting are reviewed at the subsequent
Board meeting and signed as an accurate record of
proceedings. At the subsequent Board meeting, the Chairman
of the Committee reports on the Committee’s conclusions and
recommendations.
Principle 5 – Make timely and balanced
disclosure
The Company has established a Continuous Disclosure Policy
which applies to and is to be followed by all directors, officers,
employees, consultants of the Company and any entity related
to or owned by the Company, and any other person when they
represent the Company or any entity related to or owned by
the Company.
The Policy outlines the Company’s commitment to complying
with the continuous disclosure obligations contained in the
ASX Listing Rules (Listing Rules) and the Corporations Act 2001
(Cth) (the Act).
The Policy is designed to provide a practical guide to the
Company and its directors, officers, employees and consultants
with practical guidance on the continuous disclosure
obligations and to assess whether any particular information or
event is required to be disclosed to the ASX.
The Board recognises the need to ensure that the management
and dissemination of accurate market sensitive information is
made in accordance with the requirements of the Listing Rules
and the Act so that all shareholders and market participants
have an equal opportunity to participate in a fair, orderly and
transparent market in the securities of the Company.
Type of information that needs to be disclosed
The Company must immediately notify the ASX of any
information that a reasonable person would expect to have
a material effect on the price of value of the Company’s
securities, unless that information is within the exceptions to
the disclosure requirement as set out in the Listing Rules and
the Act as set out above. Examples of such information include
a change in financial forecasts, revenue, significant changes
in asset values or significant transactions. All information
disclosed to the ASX is provided to Directors as soon as
possible after the ASX has confirmed receipt of same.
ASX Communications Officer
The Board has appointed the Company Secretary as the
principle officer for communicating with the ASX in relation
to all Listing Rule matters, overseeing the disclosure of
information to the ASX and coordinating the review process
for deciding whether any information or event is required to be
disclosed monitoring the disclosure practices of the Company.
Principle 6 – Respect the rights of
shareholders
The Board’s aim is to ensure that Shareholders are provided
with sufficient information to assess the performance
of the Company and that they are informed of all major
developments affecting the state of affairs of the Company
relevant to Shareholders in accordance with all applicable laws.
Information will be communicated to Shareholders through
the lodgement of all relevant financial and other information
with ASX and publishing information on the Company’s
website, www.freelancer.com.
In particular, the Company’s website will contain information
about it, including media releases, key policies and the terms of
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT reference of its Board committees.
oversight and management rests with the Board.
The Company also communicates with shareholders through
the:
Due to the size and scale of operations of the Company, there
is no separate internal audit function.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE STATEMENT
1. Annual Report which is available to all shareholders;
2.
invitation to the annual general meeting and all
accompanying papers;
3. Company’s website, www.freelancer.com;
4. reports to the ASX and the press;
5. half year and full year profit announcements; and
6.
information and presentations to analysts (which are
released to the ASX).
The Annual General Meeting also provides an important
opportunity for shareholders to express their views and
respond to initiatives being proposed by the Board.
The Company also requests the external auditor attend
the Annual General Meeting and be available to answer
shareholder questions about the audit and the preparation and
content of the audit reports.
In accordance with Principle 6 of the ASX Principles, the
Company has established a Communications Policy,
incorporating matters disclosed above. The Policy is available
on the Company’s website, www.freelancer.com.
Principle 7 – Recognise and manage risk
Risk oversight and management policies
The identification and proper management of the Company’s
risks are an important priority of the Board. The Company has
adopted a Risk Management Policy appropriate for its business.
The Policy highlights the risks relevant to the Company’s
operations and the Company’s commitment to designing and
implementing systems and methods appropriate to minimise
and control its risks. The Board is responsible for overseeing and
approving risk management strategy and policies.
Management is responsible for identifying major risk areas
and monitoring risk management to provide assurance that
major business risks are identified, consistently assessed and
appropriately addressed and must report on these matters to the
Board.
The Company will regularly undertake reviews of its risk
management procedures to ensure that it complies with its legal
obligations, including assisting the Managing Director and Chief
Financial Officer to provide the required declarations under
section 295A of the Corporations Act. The Company has in
place a system whereby management is required to report as to
its adherence to policies and guidelines approved by the Board
for the management of risks.
The key aspects of this Risk Management Policy are:
1. Establishing the context;
2. Risk identification;
3. Risk analysis;
4. Risk evaluation;
5. Risk treatment;
6. Communication & consultation; and
7. Monitoring and review.
As required by the ASX Principles, Executive management has
reported to the Board on the effectiveness of the management
of its material business risks. The ultimate responsibility for risk
Principle 8 – Remunerate fairly and
responsibly
The Board has established a Nomination and Remuneration
Committee to consider and report on, among other matters,
remuneration policies and packages applicable to Board
members and to Senior Executives of the Company.
Currently, the Committee comprises of Mr R.M. Barrie, Mr S.A.
Clausen and Mr D.N.J. Williams (Chairman). The members of
the Committee are not independent Directors. The Chairman
of the Committee is not Chairman of the Board.
The objectives of the Company’s Nomination and
Remuneration Committee (Committee) are to assist the Board
in fulfilling its corporate governance responsibilities in relation
to:
1.
remuneration matters, including:
•
•
•
the remuneration framework for
Non-Executive Directors;
the remuneration and incentive framework,
including any proposed equity incentive awards,
for the Managing Director, any other Executive
Directors and all executives that report directly to
the Managing Director (Senior Executives);
recommendations and decisions (as relevant)
on remuneration and incentive awards for the
Managing Director, any other Executive Directors
and Senior Executives; and
• strategic human resources policies; and
2. nomination matters, including:
• Board appointments, re-elections and performance;
• Directors’ induction programs and continuing
development;
• Committee membership;
• endorsement of Senior Executive appointments; and
• diversity obligations.
The Managing Director, appropriate management and
representatives of any external adviser are to attend such
portion of each meeting as requested by the Committee
Chairman. An Executive is not to be present when the
Committee discusses issues relating to that Executive.
The Committee will review and make recommendations to the
Board on remuneration matters, including:
1.
the review and monitoring and recommendation of
changes to the remuneration and incentive framework
(including the equity plan framework and any diversity
considerations) for Non-Executive Directors, Executive
Directors and Senior Executives;
2.
the remuneration of Non-Executive Directors;
3.
the fixed remuneration levels and incentive awards for the
Managing Director and any other Executive Directors; and
4. performance based measures (financial and non-
financial), targets and performance outcomes under
incentive plans for the Executive Directors and Senior
Executives.
41
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF PROFIT OR LOSS AND OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF PROFIT OR LOSS AND
OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
For the year ended 31 December 2014
Revenue
Cost of sales
Gross profit
Employee expenses
Administrative expenses
Occupancy costs
Foreign exchange losses
Initial public offering costs
Depreciation and amortisation expenses
Share based payments expense
Finance costs
(Loss) / profit before income tax
Income tax benefit
(Loss) / profit after tax
Other comprehensive income
Items that may be reclassified to profit or loss:
Exchange differences on translation of foreign operations
Total comprehensive (loss) / income for the year
Earnings per share
Basic earnings per share
Diluted earnings per share
Note
Consolidated
2014
$000
2013
$000
26,087
18,761
(3,360)
(2,319)
22,727 16,442
(14,307)
(9,669)
(8,201)
(4,475)
(2,077)
(756)
(241)
(366)
- (394)
(338)
(186)
(388)
(33)
(1)
(5)
(2,826)
558
980 195
753
(1,847)
(83)
(231)
(1,930)
523
Cents
(0.43)
(0.42)
Cents
0.19
0.19
6
7
7
7
7
22
7
8
29
29
The above statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.
42
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
As at 31 December 2014
Assets
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents
Trade and other receivables
Other assets
Total current assets
Non-current assets
Trade and other receivables
Plant and equipment
Intangible assets
Other assets
Deferred tax assets
Total non-current assets
Total assets
Liabilities
Current liabilities
Trade and other payables
Current tax liabilities
Provisions
Deferred revenue
Total current liabilities
Non-current liabilities
Deferred tax liabilities
Provisions
Total non-current liabilities
Total liabilities
Net assets
Equity
Contributed equity
Reserves
(Accumulated losses) / Retained earnings
Total equity
The above statement of financial position should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.
Note
Consolidated
2014
$000
2013
$000
9
10
11
10
12
13
11
8
14
8
15
8
15
16
17
20,210 24,387
2,750 2,163
661 401
23,621 26,950
191
176
1,113 561
12,953
488
1,822
16,567
8,886
-
806
10,429
40,188
37,379
21,759
18,319
4
1,120
388
169
487
-
23,271
18,975
1
104
105
15
-
15
23,376
18,990
16,812
18,389
17,520
108
(816)
16,812
17,556
(198)
1,031
18,389
43
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
For the year ended 31 December 2014
Note
Contributed
equity
Share based
payments
Balance at 1 January 2013
Profit for the year
Exchange differences on translation of
foreign operations
Total comprehensive income for the year
Transactions with owners in their capacity
as owners:
Cancellation of Series A preference shares
Issue of ordinary shares upon cancellation
of Series A preference shares
Issue of ordinary shares
Capitalised equity raising costs (net of tax)
Share based payments
Balance at 31 December 2013
17
16
16
16
17
$000
2,925
-
-
-
(2,553)
2,553
15,000
(369)
-
17,556
$000
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
33
33
Foreign
currency
translation
reserve
$000
-
-
(230)
(230)
Retained
earnings
$000
278
Total
equity
$000
3,202
753
753
-
753
(230)
523
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
(2,553)
2,553
15,000
(369)
33
(230)
1,031
18,389
Balance at 1 January 2014
Note
Contributed
equity
Share based
payments
$000
17,556
$000
33
Foreign
currency
translation
reserve
$000
Retained
earnings /
(accumulated
losses)
$000
Total
equity
$000
(230)
1,031
18,389
Loss for the year
Exchange differences on translation of
foreign operations
17
Total comprehensive loss for the year
Transactions with owners in their capacity
as owners:
Contributions of equity arising from
repayment of ESP loans
Capitalised equity raising costs (net of tax)
relating to prior year shares issued
Share based payments
Balance at 31 December 2014
16
16
22
-
-
-
14
(50)
-
17,520
-
-
-
-
-
388
421
-
(1,847)
(1,847)
(83)
(83)
-
(83)
(1,847)
(1,930)
-
-
-
-
-
-
14
(50)
388
(313)
(816)
16,812
The above statement of changes in equity should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.
44
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
For the year ended 31 December 2014
Cash flows from operating activities
Receipts from customers (inclusive of GST and VAT)
Payments to suppliers and employees (inclusive of GST and VAT)
Interest received
Interest paid
Income taxes (paid) / refunded
Net cash (outflow) / inflow from operating activities
Cash flows from investing activities
Payments for plant and equipment
Payments for intangible assets
Payments for other assets
Payments for acquisition of businesses
Net cash (outflow) from investing activities
Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from issue of share capital
Contributions of equity arising from repayment of ESP loans
Capitalised IPO costs
Net cash (outflow) / inflow from financing activities
Note
Consolidated
2014
$000
2013
$000
26,105
18,824
(26,210)
(18,735)
206
(1)
(195)
(94)
36
(5)
125
245
(890)
(319)
(43)
(1,401)
(374)
(3,691)
-
-
(4,998)
(1,720)
-
14
(71)
(57)
15,000
-
(485)
14,515
28
25
16
16
Net (decrease) / increase in cash and cash equivalents
(5,150)
13,039
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the financial year
Effects of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents
24,387
974
9,660
1,687
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year
9
20,210
24,387
The above statement of cash flows should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.
45
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2014
contents
to the notes to the consolidated financial statements
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Reporting entity
Basis of preparation
Significant accounting policies
Financial risk management
Operating segments
Revenue
Expenses
Income tax
Cash and cash equivalents
10
Trade and other receivables
Other assets
Plant and equipment
Intangible assets
Trade and other payables
Provisions
11
12
13
14
15
46
47
47
47
54
56
56
57
57
59
59
59
60
61
62
62
16
17
18
19
Contributed equity
Equity – reserves
Key management personnel disclosures
Remuneration of auditors
20
Contingent liabilities
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
Commitments for expenditure
Share based payments
Related party transactions
Parent entity information
Business combinations
Interests in controlled entities
Events occurring after the reporting date
28
Reconciliation of profit after tax to net cash
flow from operating activities
29
Earnings per share (EPS)
62
64
64
65
65
66
66
69
70
70
71
71
72
72
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT
1. Reporting entity
Freelancer Limited (the Company) is a company domiciled
in Australia. The address of the Company’s registered office
is Level 20, 680 George Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000. The
consolidated financial statements of the Company as at and
for the year ended 31 December 2014 comprise the Company
and its subsidiaries (together referred to as the Group and
individually as Group entities). The Group is a for-profit entity
and primarily is involved in operating an online marketplace
for services. The separate financial statements of the parent
entity, Freelancer Limited, have not been presented within this
financial report as permitted by the Corporations Act 2001.
2. Basis of preparation
These general purpose financial statements have been
prepared in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards
and Interpretations issued by the Australian Accounting
Standards Board and the Corporations Act 2001.
(a) Compliance with International Financial
Reporting Standards
The consolidated financial statements of the Group comply
with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as
issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB).
(b) Historical cost convention
The consolidated financial statements have been prepared on
the historical cost basis unless otherwise stated in the notes.
Except for the cash flow information, the financial statements
have been prepared on an accrual basis, modified, where
applicable, by the measurement at fair value of selected non-
current assets, financial assets and financial liabilities.
(c) Functional and presentation currency
These consolidated financial statements are presented in
Australian dollars, which is the Company’s functional currency.
(d) Critical accounting estimates
The preparation of financial statements requires the use
of certain critical accounting estimates. It also requires
management to exercise its judgement in the process of
applying the Group’s accounting policies. The areas involving
a higher degree of judgement or complexity, or areas where
assumptions and estimates are significant to the financial
statements are disclosed in Note 3(x).
3. Significant accounting policies
Material accounting policies adopted in the preparation of
these financial statements are presented below and have been
consistently applied unless stated otherwise.
(a) Principles of consolidation
The consolidated financial statements incorporate all of the
assets, liabilities and results of Freelancer Limited and all
subsidiaries. Subsidiaries are all entities over which the Group
has control. The Group controls an entity when it is exposed
to, or has rights to, variable returns from its involvement with
the entity and has the ability to affect those returns through
its power to direct the activities of the entity. A list of the
subsidiaries is provided in Note 26.
The assets, liabilities and results of all subsidiaries are fully
consolidated into the financial statements of the Group from
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
the date on which control is obtained by the Group. The
consolidation of a subsidiary is discontinued from the date
that control ceases. Intercompany transactions, balances and
unrealised gains or losses on transactions between group
entities are fully eliminated on consolidation. Accounting
policies of subsidiaries have been changed and adjustments
made where necessary to ensure uniformity of the accounting
policies adopted by the Group.
Equity interests in a subsidiary not attributable, directly or
indirectly, to the Group are presented as “non-controlling
interests”. The Group initially recognises non-controlling
interests that are present ownership interests in subsidiaries
and are entitled to a proportionate share of the subsidiary’s
net assets on liquidation at either fair value or at the non-
controlling interests’ proportionate share of the subsidiary’s
net assets. Subsequent to initial recognition, non-controlling
interests are attributed their share of profit or loss and each
component of other comprehensive income. Non-controlling
interests are shown separately within the equity section
of the statement of financial position and statement of
comprehensive income.
(b) Business combinations
Business combinations occur where an acquirer obtains
control over one or more businesses.
A business combination is accounted for by applying the
acquisition method, unless it is a combination involving
entities or businesses under common control. The business
combination will be accounted for from the date that control
is attained, whereby the fair value of the identifiable assets
acquired and liabilities (including contingent liabilities) assumed
is recognised (subject to certain limited exceptions).
When measuring the consideration transferred in the business
combination, any asset or liability resulting from a contingent
consideration arrangement is also included. Subsequent to
initial recognition, contingent consideration classified as equity
is not remeasured and its subsequent settlement is accounted
for within equity. Contingent consideration classified as an
asset or liability is remeasured each reporting period to fair
value, recognising any change to fair value in profit or loss,
unless the change in value can be identified as existing at
acquisition date.
All transaction costs incurred in relation to the business
combination are expensed to the statement of profit or loss
and comprehensive income.
The acquisition of a business may result in the recognition of
goodwill or a gain from a bargain purchase.
(c) Income Tax
The income tax expense or revenue for the period is the tax
payable on the current period’s taxable income based on the
applicable tax rate for each jurisdiction adjusted by changes
in deferred tax assets and liabilities attributable to temporary
differences and to unused tax losses.
The current income tax charge is calculated on the basis
of the tax laws enacted or substantively enacted at the
end of the reporting period in the countries where the
Company’s subsidiaries operate and generate taxable income.
Management periodically evaluates positions taken in tax
returns with respect to situations in which applicable tax
regulation is subject to interpretation. It establishes provisions
where appropriate on the basis of amounts expected to be
paid to the tax authorities.
Deferred tax is recognised in respect of temporary differences
between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for
financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for taxation
47 47
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
purposes. Deferred tax is not recognised for:
•
•
•
temporary differences on the initial recognition of
assets or liabilities in a transaction that is not a business
combination and that affects neither accounting nor
taxable profit or loss
temporary differences related to investments in
subsidiaries, associates and jointly controlled entities to
the extent that the Group is able to control the timing
of the reversal of the temporary differences and it is
probable that they will not reverse in the foreseeable
future
taxable temporary differences arising on the initial
recognition of goodwill.
The measurement of deferred tax reflects the tax
consequences that would follow the manner in which the
Group expects, at the end of the reporting period, to recover
or settle the carrying amount of its assets and liabilities.
Deferred tax is measured at the tax rates that are expected to
be applied to temporary differences when they reverse, using
tax rates enacted or substantively enacted at the reporting
date.
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset if there is a legally
enforceable right to offset current tax liabilities and assets, and
they relate to taxes levied by the same tax authority on the
same taxable entity, or on different tax entities, but they intend
to settle current tax liabilities and assets on a net basis or their
tax assets and liabilities will be realised simultaneously.
A deferred tax asset is recognised for unused tax losses, tax
credits and deductible temporary differences, to the extent that
it is probable that future taxable profits will be available against
which they can be utilised. Deferred tax assets are reviewed at
each reporting date and are reduced to the extent that it is no
longer probable that the related tax benefit will be realised.
In determining the amount of current and deferred tax the
Group takes into account the impact of uncertain tax positions
and whether additional taxes and interest may be due. This
assessment relies on estimates and assumptions and may
involve a series of judgements about future events. New
information may become available that causes the Group to
change its judgement regarding the adequacy of existing tax
liabilities; such changes to tax liabilities will impact the tax
expense in the period that such a determination is made.
The Company and its wholly-owned Australian resident entities
are part of a tax consolidated group. As a consequence, all
members of the tax-consolidated group are taxed as a single
entity. The head entity within the tax-consolidated group is
Freelancer Limited
(d) Plant and equipment
Plant and equipment is stated at historical cost less
depreciation, amortisation and impairment losses. Historical
cost includes expenditure that is directly attributable to the
acquisition of the items
The carrying amount of plant and equipment is reviewed
annually by directors to ensure it is not in excess of the
recoverable amount from these assets. The recoverable
amount is assessed on the basis of the expected net cash
flows that will be received from the asset’s employment and
subsequent disposal. The expected net cash flows have not
been discounted in determining recoverable amounts.
Depreciation of all fixed assets is calculated using the straight-
line method to allocate their cost, net of their residual values,
over their estimated useful lives, as follows:
48
• Fixtures and fittings
4 - 5 years
• Motor vehicles
4 years
• Office and computer equipment
4 - 5 years
• Software
3 years
• Leasehold improvements
shorter of either the unexpired period of the lease or the
estimated useful lives of the improvements
The assets’ residual values and useful lives are reviewed, and
adjusted if appropriate, at the end of each reporting period.
An asset’s carrying amount is written down immediately to its
recoverable amount if the asset’s carrying amount is greater
than its estimated recoverable amount.
Gains and losses on disposals are determined by comparing
proceeds with the carrying amount. These gains or losses are
recognised in the profit and loss in the period in which they
arise. When revalued assets are sold, amounts included in the
revaluation surplus relating to that asset are transferred to
retained earnings.
(e) Intangibles
Goodwill
Goodwill is initially recorded at the amount by which the
purchase price for a business combination exceeds the
fair value attributed to the interest in the net fair value of
identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities acquired
at date of acquisition. Goodwill is not amortised. Instead
goodwill is tested for impairment annually or more frequently
if events or changes in circumstances indicate that it might be
impaired, and is carried at cost less accumulated impairment
losses.
Domain Names
Domain names are valued at cost of acquisition. Domain
names are tested for impairment annually or more frequently
if events or changes in circumstances indicate that it might
be impaired, either individually or at the cash generating unit
level. Useful lives are also examined on an annual basis and
adjustments, where applicable, are made on a prospective
basis.
Trademarks
Trademarks are valued at cost of acquisition and are amortised
on a straight line basis over the period in which the benefits are
expected to be realised. Trademarks are tested for impairment
where an indicator of impairment exists, either individually or
at the cash generating unit level. Useful lives are also examined
on an annual basis and adjustments, where applicable, are
made on a prospective basis.
(f) Employee benefits
Short-term obligations
Employee benefits that are expected to be settled within 12
months have been measured at the amounts expected to
be paid when the liabilities are settled, plus related on-costs.
The liability for annual leave is recognised in the provision for
employee benefits. All other short-term employee benefit
obligations are presented as payables.
Other long–term employee benefit obligations
Employee benefits payable later than 12 months have been
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT
measured at the present value of the estimated future cash
outflows to be made for those benefits. In determining the
liability, consideration is given to employee wages increases
and the probability that the employee may satisfy any vesting
requirements. Those cash flows are discounted using market
yields on national government bonds with terms to maturity
that match the expected timing of cash flows attributable to
employee benefits.
Share based payments
The Group operates an employee share plan. Information
relating to this plan is set out in the Note 22. The fair value
of the effective option over the shares granted under the
Company’s Employee Share Plan (ESP) is recognised as an
employee benefit expense with a corresponding increase in
equity. The fair value is measured at grant date and recognised
over the period during which the employees become
unconditionally entitled to the ESP shares.
The fair value at grant date is independently determined using
a Black-Scholes option pricing model that takes into account
the exercise price, the term of the ESP shares, the vesting and
performance criteria, the impact of dilution, the non-tradeable
nature of the ESP share, the share price at grant date and
expected price volatility of the underlying share, the expected
dividend yield and the risk-free interest rate for the term of the
ESP share.
The fair value of share grants issued outside of the ESP is
independently determined based on the value of the shares at
grant date less the present value of dividends expected to be
distributed between the grant date and the vesting dates.
Short term incentive plans
The Group recognises a liability and an expense for bonuses
payable under short term incentive plans. Short term
incentive plans are based on the achievement of targeted
performance levels that may be set at the beginning of each
financial year. The Group recognises a liability to pay out short
term incentives when contractually obliged based on the
achievement of the stated performance levels, or where there
is a past practice that has created a constructive obligation.
(g) Borrowing costs
All borrowing costs are recognised in profit or loss in the
period in which they are incurred.
(h) Provisions
Provisions are recognised when the Company has a legal or
constructive obligation, as a result of past events, for which it is
probable that an outflow of economic benefits will result and
that outflow can be reliably measured. Provisions recognised
represent the best estimate of the amounts required to settle
the obligation at reporting date.
A provision for onerous contracts is recognised when the
expected benefits to be derived by the Group from a contract
are lower than the unavoidable cost of meeting the obligations
under the contract. The provision is stated at the present value
of the future net cash outflows expected to be incurred in
respect of the contract.
(i) Cash and cash equivalents
For cash flow statement presentation purposes, cash and cash
equivalents includes cash on hand, deposits held at call with
banks, other short-term highly liquid investments with original
maturities of three months or less that are readily convertible
to known amounts of cash and which are subject to an
insignificant risk of changes in value, and bank overdrafts.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(j) Trade receivables
Trade receivables are recognised initially at fair value and
subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective
interest method, less provision for impairment. This provision
includes amounts that are not considered to be recoverable
from debtors and amounts that are expected to be credited
to debtors. Trade receivables are generally due for settlement
no more than 30 days from the date of recognition. They are
presented as current assets unless collection is not expected
for more than 12 months after the reporting date.
Collectability of trade receivables is reviewed on an ongoing
basis. A provision for impairment of trade receivables is
established when there is objective evidence that the Group
will not be able to collect all amounts due according to the
original terms of the receivables. Significant financial difficulties
of the debtor, probability that the debtor will enter bankruptcy
or financial reorganisation, and default or delinquency in
payments are considered indicators that the trade receivable
is impaired. In addition, the trade receivables balances are
considered for credit notes that are expected to be raised
against individual and collective balances.
(k) Trade and other payables
These amounts represent liabilities for goods and services
provided to the Group and amounts outstanding to users of
the Company’s website at the end of financial year which are
unpaid. The amounts are unsecured and are payable as and
when they are due. Trade and other payables are presented as
current liabilities unless payment is not due within 12 months
from the reporting date.
(l) Revenue recognition
The Company’s net revenues result from transaction and
other fees generated in its online marketplace. Revenues are
recognised when evidence of an arrangement exists, the fee is
fixed and determinable, no significant obligation remains and
collection of the receivable is reasonably assured. Amounts
disclosed as revenue are net of refunds and amounts collected
on behalf of third parties. Where services have not been
provided but the Company is obligated to provide the services
in the future, revenue recognition is deferred. Provision
for doubtful accounts and transaction losses are made at
the time of revenue recognition based on the Company’s
historical experience. The provision for doubtful accounts and
transaction losses are recorded as charges to cost of sales.
Revenue is recognised for the major business activities as
follows:
Marketplace fees
Marketplace fees are recognised once the services have been
completed and no significant obligation remains.
Advertising fees
A sale is recorded when a customer’s advertisement has been
displayed or when a referral has been generated leading to an
enforceable claim by the Group.
Interest income
Interest revenue is recognised using the effective interest rate
method, which, for floating rate financial assets, is the rate
inherent in the instrument.
Government grants
Government grants are recognised at fair value where there
is reasonable assurance that the grant will be received and all
grant conditions will be met.
49
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
All revenue is stated net of the amount of goods and services
tax (GST) and Valued Added Tax (VAT).
(m) Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Valued
Added Tax (VAT)
Revenues, expenses and assets are recognised net of the
amount of associated GST and VAT, except where the amount
of GST and VAT incurred is not recoverable from the relevant
taxation authority. In these circumstances, the GST and VAT is
recognised as part of the cost of acquisition of the asset or as
part of an item of the expense. Receivables and payables are
stated inclusive of the amount of GST and VAT receivable or
payable. The net amount of GST and VAT recoverable from,
or payable to, the relevant taxation authority is included with
other receivables or payables in the statement of financial
position.
Cash flows are presented in the cash flow statement on a gross
basis. The GST and VAT components of cash flows arising from
investing or financing activities which are recoverable from, or
payable to, the taxation authority are presented as operating
cash flows included in receipts from customers or payments to
suppliers.
Commitments and contingencies are disclosed net of the
amount of GST and VAT recoverable from, or payable to, the
relevant taxation authority.
(n) Research & development
Costs relating to research and development of new software
products are expensed as incurred until technological
feasibility in the form of a working model has been established.
At such time costs may be capitalised, subject to recoverability.
Software development costs incurred subsequent to the
establishment of technological feasibility have not been
significant, and the Group has not capitalised any software
development costs to date.
(o) Foreign currency transactions and balances
Functional and presentation currency
The functional currency of each of the Group entities is
measured using the currency of the primary economic
environment in which that entity operates. The consolidated
financial statements are presented in Australian dollars, which
is the parent entity’s functional and presentation currency.
Transactions and balances
Foreign currency transactions are translated into functional
currency using the exchange rates prevailing at the date of the
transaction. Foreign currency monetary items are translated at
the period-end exchange rate. Non-monetary items measured
at historical cost continue to be carried at the exchange rate at
the date of the transaction. Non-monetary items measured at
fair value are reported at the exchange rate at the date when
fair values were determined.
Exchange differences arising on the translation of monetary
items are recognised in the profit or loss, except where
deferred in equity as a qualifying cash flow or net investment
hedge.
Exchange differences arising on the translation of non-
monetary items are recognised directly in other comprehensive
income to the extent that the underlying gain or loss is
recognised in other comprehensive income; otherwise the
exchange difference is recognised in profit or loss.
50
Group companies
The financial results and position of foreign operations whose
functional currency is different from the Group’s presentation
currency is translated as follows:
• Assets and liabilities are translated at period end exchange
rates prevailing at that reporting date.
•
Income and expenses are translated at average exchange
rates for the period.
• Retained earnings are translated at the exchange rates
prevailing at the date of the transaction.
Exchange differences arising on translation of foreign
operations with functional currencies other than Australian
dollars are recognised in other comprehensive income and
included in the foreign currency translation reserve in the
statement of financial position. The cumulative amount of
these differences is reclassified into profit or loss in the period
in which the operation is disposed of.
(p) Earnings per share
Basic earnings per share
Basic earnings per share is calculated by dividing:
•
the profit attributable to owners of the Company,
excluding any costs of servicing equity other than
ordinary shares
• by the weighted average number of ordinary shares
outstanding during the financial year, adjusted for bonus
elements in ordinary shares issued during the year and
excluding treasury shares.
Diluted earnings per share
Diluted earnings per share adjusts the figures used in the
determination of basic earnings per share to take into account:
•
•
the after income tax effect of interest and other financing
costs associated with dilutive potential ordinary shares,
and
the weighted average number of shares assumed to have
been issued for no consideration in relation to dilutive
potential ordinary shares.
(q) Financial instruments
Initial recognition and measurement
Financial assets and financial liabilities are recognised when
the entity becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the
instrument. For financial assets, this is equivalent to the date
that the Group commits itself to either purchase or sell the
asset (i.e. trade date accounting is adopted).
Financial instruments are initially measured at fair value plus
transaction costs, except where the instrument is classified
“at fair value through profit or loss”, in which case transaction
costs are expensed to profit or loss immediately.
Classification and subsequent measurement
Financial instruments are subsequently measured at fair value,
amortised cost using the effective interest method, or cost.
Where available, quoted prices in an active market are used
to determine fair value. In other circumstances, valuation
techniques are adopted.
Amortised cost is calculated as the amount at which the
financial asset or financial liability is measured at initial
recognition less principal repayments and any reduction for
impairment, and adjusted for any cumulative amortisation of
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
the difference between that initial amount and the maturity
amount calculated using the effective interest method.
reorganisation; and changes in arrears or economic conditions
that correlate with defaults.
The effective interest method is used to allocate interest
income or interest expense over the relevant period and is
equivalent to the rate that exactly discounts estimated future
cash payments or receipts (including fees, transaction costs
and other premiums or discounts) through the expected life (or
when this cannot be reliably predicted, the contractual term)
of the financial instrument to the net carrying amount of the
financial asset or financial liability. Revisions to expected future
net cash flows will necessitate an adjustment to the carrying
amount with a consequential recognition of an income or
expense item in profit or loss.
Fair value is determined based on current bid prices for all
quoted investments. Valuation techniques are applied to
determine the fair value for all unlisted securities, including
recent arm’s length transactions, reference to similar
instruments and option pricing models.
The Group does not designate any interests in subsidiaries,
associates or joint venture entities as being subject to the
requirements of Accounting Standards specifically applicable
to financial instruments.
Loans and receivables
Loans and receivables are non-derivative financial assets with
fixed or determinable payments that are not quoted in an
active market and are subsequently measured at amortised
cost. Gains or losses are recognised in profit or loss through
the amortisation process and when the financial asset is
derecognised.
For financial assets carried at amortised cost (including loans
and receivables), a separate allowance account is used to
reduce the carrying amount of financial assets impaired by
credit losses. After having taken all possible measures of
recovery, if management establishes that the carrying amount
cannot be recovered by any means, at that point the written-
off amounts are charged to the allowance account, or the
carrying amount of impaired financial assets is reduced directly
if no impairment amount was previously recognised in the
allowance account.
When the terms of financial assets that would otherwise
have been past due or impaired have been renegotiated,
the Company recognises the impairment for such financial
assets by taking into account the original terms as if the terms
have not been renegotiated so that the loss events that have
occurred are duly considered.
Derecognition
Financial assets are derecognised when the contractual rights
to receipt of cash flows expire or the asset is transferred to
another party whereby the entity no longer has any significant
continuing involvement in the risks and benefits associated
with the asset. Financial liabilities are derecognised when the
related obligations are discharged, cancelled or have expired.
The difference between the carrying amount of the financial
liability extinguished or transferred to another party and the fair
value of consideration paid, including the transfer of non-cash
assets or liabilities assumed, is recognised in the profit or loss.
Held-to-maturity investments
(r) Impairment of assets
Held-to-maturity investments are non-derivative financial
assets that have fixed maturities and fixed or determinable
payments, and it is the Company’s intention to hold these
investments to maturity. They are subsequently measured at
amortised cost. Gains or losses are recognised in profit or loss
through the amortisation process and when the financial asset
is derecognised.
Financial liabilities
Non-derivative financial liabilities other than financial
guarantees are subsequently measured at amortised cost.
Gains or losses are recognised in profit or loss through
the amortisation process and when the financial liability is
derecognised.
Impairment
At the end of each reporting period, the Group assesses
whether there is objective evidence that a financial asset has
been impaired. A financial asset (or a group of financial assets)
is deemed to be impaired if, and only if, there is objective
evidence of impairment as a result of one or more events (a
“loss event”) having occurred, which has an impact on the
estimated future cash flows of the financial asset(s).
In the case of available-for-sale financial assets, a significant
or prolonged decline in the market value of the instrument
is considered to constitute a loss event. Impairment losses
are recognised in the profit or loss immediately. Also, any
cumulative decline in fair value previously recognised in other
comprehensive income is reclassified to the profit or loss at
this point.
In the case of financial assets carried at amortised cost, loss
events may include: indications that the debtors (or a group
of debtors) are experiencing significant financial difficulty,
default or delinquency in interest or principal payments;
indications that they will enter bankruptcy or other financial
At the end of each reporting date, the Group reviews
the carrying values of its tangible and intangible assets
to determine whether there is any indication that those
assets have been impaired. If such an indication exists, the
recoverable amount of the asset, being the higher of the asset’s
fair value less costs to sell and value in use, is compared to the
asset’s carrying value. Any excess of the asset’s carrying value
over its recoverable amount is recognised immediately in the
profit or loss.
Impairment testing is performed annually for goodwill and
intangible assets with indefinite lives.
Where it is not possible to estimate the recoverable amount
of an individual asset, the Group estimates the recoverable
amount of the cash generating unit to which the asset belongs.
(s) Leases
Leases in which a significant portion of the risks and rewards
of ownership are not transferred to the Group as lessee are
classified as operating leases. Leases are made up of operating
leases of property. Payments made under operating leases (net
of any incentives received from the lessor) are charged to the
consolidated profit or loss statement on a straight-line basis
over the period of the lease. Benefits that are provided to the
Group as an incentive to enter into a lease arrangement are
recognised as a liability and amortised on a straight-line basis
over the life of the lease.
Where the Group acts as lessor in an operating lease
arrangement, rental income from operating leases is
accounted for on a straight-line basis over the period of the
lease. Lease incentives provided are recognised over the lease
term on a straight-line basis.
51
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(t) Comparative figures
When required by Accounting Standards, comparative figures
have been adjusted to conform to changes in presentation for
the current financial year.
Where the Group has retrospectively applied an accounting
policy, made a retrospective restatement or reclassified items
in its financial statements, an additional statement of financial
position as at the beginning of the earliest comparative period
will be disclosed.
(u) Contributed equity
Ordinary shares are classified as equity. Incremental costs
directly attributable to the issue of new shares are shown in
equity as a deduction, net of tax, from the proceeds.
(v) Segment reporting
Operating segments are reported in a manner consistent with
the internal reporting provided to the chief operating decision
maker. These include items directly attributable to a segment
as well as those that can be allocated on a reasonable basis.
Unallocated items comprise mainly corporate assets (primarily
the Company’s headquarters), head office expenses, and
income tax assets and liabilities. The Board of Directors are
identified as the chief operating decision makers.
(w) Rounding of amounts
The Company has applied the relief available to it under ASIC
Class Order 98/100. Accordingly, amounts in the financial
statements and Directors’ Report have been rounded off to the
nearest $1,000.
(x) Critical accounting estimates and judgments
The directors evaluate estimates and judgements incorporated
into the financial report based on historical knowledge
and best available current information. Estimates assume a
reasonable expectation of future events and are based on
current trends and economic data, obtained both externally
and within the Group. The resulting accounting estimates
will, by definition, seldom equal the related actual results. The
estimates and judgements that have a significant risk of causing
a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and
liabilities within the next financial year are discussed below.
Business Combinations
Following the guidance in AASB 3: Business Combinations, the
Group has made assumptions and estimates to determine the
purchase price of businesses acquired as well as its allocation
to acquired assets and liabilities. To do so, the Group is
required to determine at the acquisition date fair value of the
identifiable net assets acquired, including intangible assets
such as brand, customer relationships and liabilities assumed.
Goodwill is measured as the excess of the fair value of the
consideration transferred including the recognised amount of
any non-controlling interest over the net recognised amount
of the identifiable assets and liabilities.
The assumptions and estimates made by the Group have an
impact on the asset and liability amounts recorded in the
financial statements. In addition, the estimated useful lives of
the acquired amortisable assets, the identification of intangible
assets and the determination of the indefinite or finite useful
lives of intangible assets acquired will have an impact on the
Group’s future profit or loss.
Impairment of intangible assets
The Group assesses impairment at each reporting date by
52
evaluating conditions specific to the group that may lead to
impairment of assets. Where an impairment trigger exists, the
recoverable amount of the asset is determined. Value-in-use
calculations performed in assessing recoverable amounts
incorporate a number of key estimates. During the year ended
31 December 2014, no impairment has been recognised in
respect of intangible assets. The Group assessed recoverability
of goodwill based on the present value of cash flow projections
over a 6 year period. Should any of the intangible assets fail to
perform, an impairment loss would be recognised up to the
maximum carrying value of intangible assets at 31 December
2014 of $12,953,000 (2013: $8,886,000).
Provisions for doubtful accounts and transaction losses
Provision is made in respect of the Group’s best estimate of
doubtful accounts and transaction losses based on historical
experience.
Share based payments
The Group measures the cost of equity settled transactions
with employees by reference to the fair value of the equity
instruments at the date at which they are granted. The fair
value is determined with the assistance of an external valuation
with the assumptions detailed in Note 22. The accounting
estimates and assumptions relating to equity settled share
based payments would have no impact on the carrying
amounts of assets and liabilities within the next annual
reporting period but may impact expenses and equity.
Income taxes
The Group is subject to income taxes in Australia and
jurisdictions where it has foreign operations. Judgment is
required in determining the worldwide provision for income
taxes. There are transactions and calculations undertaken
during the ordinary course of business for which the ultimate
tax determination is uncertain. The Group estimates its tax
liabilities based on the Group’s understanding of the tax law.
Where the final tax outcome of these matters is different from
the amounts that were initially recorded, such differences will
impact the current and deferred tax provisions in the period in
which such determination is made.
(y) Parent entity financial information
The financial information for the parent entity, Freelancer
Limited, disclosed in Note 24 has been prepared on the same
basis as the consolidated financial statements, except as set
out below.
Investments in subsidiaries
Investments in subsidiaries are accounted for at cost in the
financial statements of Freelancer Limited. Investments in
subsidiaries are tested for impairment whenever changes in
events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may
not be recoverable.
Income tax consolidation legislation
Freelancer Limited and its wholly-owned Australian entities
have elected to form an income tax consolidated group.
Freelancer Limited (as the head entity) and its wholly-owned
Australian entities (as members of the Freelancer income
tax consolidated group) account for their own current and
deferred tax amounts. These tax amounts are measured as if
each entity in the income tax consolidated group continues to
be a standalone taxpayer in its own right.
In addition to its own current and deferred tax amounts,
Freelancer Limited also recognises the current tax liabilities (or
assets) assumed from its wholly-owned entities in the income
tax consolidated group.
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT (z) Changes in accounting policies
The accounting policies applied by the Group in this
consolidated financial report are the same as those applied
by the Group in its consolidated financial report for the year
ended 31 December 2013.
(aa) New Accounting Standards for application in
future periods
Accounting Standards and Interpretations issued by the
AASB that are not yet mandatorily applicable to the Group,
together with an assessment of the potential impact of such
pronouncements on the Group when adopted in future
periods, are discussed below:
- AASB 9: Financial Instruments and associated Amending
Standards (applicable for annual reporting periods
commencing on or after 1 January 2017).
The Standard will be applicable retrospectively (subject
to the comment on hedge accounting below) and
includes revised requirements for the classification
and measurement of financial instruments, revised
recognition and derecognition requirements for financial
instruments and simplified requirements for hedge
accounting.
The key changes made to the Standard that may
affect the Group on initial application include certain
simplifications to the classification of financial assets,
simplifications to the accounting of embedded
derivatives, and the irrevocable election to recognise
gains and losses on investments in equity instruments
that are not held for trading in other comprehensive
income. AASB 9 also introduces a new model for hedge
accounting that will allow greater flexibility in the ability
to hedge risk, particularly with respect to hedges of
non-financial items. Should the entity elect to change
its hedge policies in line with the new hedge accounting
requirements of AASB 9, the application of such
accounting would be largely prospective.
Although the Directors anticipate that the adoption of
AASB 9 may have an impact on the Group’s financial
instruments, including hedging activity, it is impracticable
at this stage to provide a reasonable estimate of such
impact.
- AASB 15 Revenue from contracts with customers is the
new comprehensive standard for revenue recognition,
replacing AASB 111 Construction contracts, AASB 118
Revenue and AASB 1004 Contributions.
It is operative from 1 January 2017 with early adoption
permitted. The lengthy transition period reflects the
fact that the standard’s new rules are likely to have a
significant impact on a wide range of industries which
will need to prepare for its implementation. A transition
resource group has been formed jointly by the IASB and
FASB to identify implementation issues for consideration
by both boards. The core principle of the new standard
requires entities to recognise revenue to depict the
transfer of goods or services to customers in amounts
that reflect the consideration (that is, payment) to which
the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those
goods or services.
The Directors have yet to assess the potential impact
from the adoption of AASB 15.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
53
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
4. Financial risk management
Financial risk management policies
The Group’s activities expose it to a variety of financial risks: market risk (including currency risk), credit risk and liquidity risk. The
Group’s overall risk management program focuses on the unpredictability of financial markets and seeks to minimise potential
adverse effects on the financial performance of the Group. The Group uses different methods to measure different types of risk to
which it is exposed. These methods include sensitivity analysis in the case of interest rate and other price risks and ageing analysis
for credit risk.
Risk management is carried out by senior finance executives (Finance) under policies approved by the Board of Directors (Board).
These policies include identification and analysis of the risk exposure of the Group and appropriate procedures, controls and risk
limits. Finance identifies, evaluates and hedges financial risks within the Group’s operating units.
The Group holds the following financial instruments:
Note
Consolidated
Financial Assets
Cash and cash equivalents
Trade and other receivables
Other financial assets
Total financial assets
Financial Liabilities
Trade and other payables
Other financial liabilities
Total financial liabilities
9
10
11
14
2014
$000
2013
$000
20,210
2,941
627
23,779
24,387
2,339
191
26,917
21,759
-
21,759
18,319
-
18,319
The carrying value of the assets and liabilities disclosed in the table above closely approximates or equals their fair value. The
carrying amounts of trade receivables and trade and other payables are assumed to approximate their fair values due to their short-
term nature.
(a) Market risk
Foreign currency risk
The Group operates internationally and is exposed to foreign exchange risk arising from various currencies.
Foreign exchange risk arises when future commercial transactions and recognised assets and liabilities are denominated in a
currency that is not the entity’s functional currency. The risk is measured using sensitivity analysis and cash flow forecasting.
The Group has not entered into forward foreign exchange contracts to protect against exchange rate movements. The Directors
are of the view that the cost of hedging the Group’s short-term foreign exchange exposure outweighs the risk of adverse currency
movements.
The Group’s exposure to foreign currency exchange risk at the reporting date, expressed in each currency, was as follows:
2014
Currency exposure:
Denominated in:
Cash
Trade receivables
Other financial assets
Payables
User obligations
Net exposure
2013
Currency exposure:
Denominated in:
Cash
Trade receivables
Other financial assets
Payables
User obligations
Net exposure
54
AUD
AUD
000’s
2,182
352
79
(553)
(1,359)
700
AUD
AUD
000’s
10,192
301
116
(419)
(1,178)
9,012
USD
USD
000’s
12,371
1,694
-
(882)
(12,750)
433
USD
USD
000’s
11,057
1,702
-
(398)
(12,768)
(407)
NZD
NZD
000’s
181
15
-
-
(87)
110
NZD
NZD
000’s
73
5
-
-
(69)
8
GBP
GBP
000’s
401
60
6
(5)
(444)
17
GBP
GBP
000’s
175
24
-
-
(273)
(75)
HKD
HKD
000’s
578
50
-
-
(238)
390
HKD
HKD
000’s
865
-
-
-
(203)
662
SGD
SGD
000’s
215
29
5
(6)
(142)
101
SGD
SGD
000’s
121
23
22
2
(86)
83
PHP
PHP
000’s
7,739
2,992
19,145
(4,882)
(597)
24,397
PHP
PHP
000’s
5,589
2,195
2,195
(109)
(189)
9,682
EUR
EUR
000’s
498
114
-
-
(727)
(115)
EUR
EUR
000’s
206
41
-
(2)
(441)
(196)
CAD
CAD
000’s
308
42
9
-
(349)
10
CAD
CAD
000’s
305
19
-
(3)
(224)
97
INR
INR
000’s
15,688
2,504
-
(401)
(16,166)
1,625
INR
INR
000’s
14,164
-
-
(109)
(6,946)
7,109
Other
AUD
000’s
79
9
-
(6)
(127)
(45)
Other
AUD
000’s
20
-
-
(10)
(35)
(26)
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The Group had net assets of $1,801,000 denominated in foreign currencies as at 31 December 2014 (comprising assets of
$21,648,000 less liabilities of $19,847,000). The Group had net liabilities of $274,000 denominated in foreign currencies as at 31
December 2013 (comprising assets $16,405,000 less liabilities of $16,679,000).
The analysis below reflects management’s view of possible movements in relevant foreign currencies against the Australian dollar
in the short term subsequent to 31 December 2014. The table summarises the range of possible outcomes that would affect the
Group’s net profit and equity as a result of foreign currency movements on year end foreign denominated assets and liabilities.
The impact of potential movements in exchange rates on the profit or loss is as follows:
Profit or Loss
2014
$000
2013
$000
Low
28
6
2
3
5
59
(9)
-
2
97
High
23
-
7
(4)
(4)
(9)
15
(6)
(6)
15
Low
(25)
-
(7)
4
4
10
(16)
6
7
(17)
High
(25)
(5)
(2)
(3)
(5)
(54)
8
-
(1)
(88)
AUD to USD
(Range +5% to -5%)
(Range +5% to -5%)
(Range +5% to -5%)
(Range +5% to -5%)
(Range +5% to -5%)
(Range +5% to -5%)
(Range +5% to -5%)
(Range +5% to -5%)
(Range +5% to -5%)
AUD to NZD
AUD to GBP
AUD to HKD
AUD to SGD
AUD to PHP
AUD to EUR
AUD to CAD
AUD to INR
Net movement
Price risk
The Group is not exposed to significant equities price risk.
Interest rate risk
The Group is not exposed to any significant interest rate risk.
Cash balances
As at 31 December 2014 the Group had $20,210,000 (2013: $24,387,000) held in bank accounts and online digital wallets. The
Group’s cash balances are predominantly held in interest bearing bank accounts. Funds that are excess to short term liquidity
requirements are generally invested in short term deposits.
(b) Credit risk
Credit risk refers to the risk that a counterparty will default on its contractual obligations resulting in financial loss to the Group. The
maximum exposure to credit risk at the reporting date to recognised financial assets is the carrying amount, net of any provisions for
impairment of those assets, as disclosed in the statement of financial position and notes to the financial statements. The Group does
not hold any collateral.
Credit risk is managed by a risk assessment process for all customers, which takes into account past experience.
(c) Liquidity risk
Liquidity risk management requires the Group to maintain sufficient liquid assets (mainly cash and cash equivalents) to be able to
pay debts as and when they become due and payable.
The Group manages liquidity risk by maintaining adequate cash reserves by continuously monitoring actual and forecast cash flows
and matching the maturity profiles of financial assets and liabilities.
Financing arrangements
The Group does not have any borrowing facilities in place at the reporting date.
Maturities of financial liabilities
The following table details the Group’s remaining contractual maturity for its financial instrument liabilities. The table has been
drawn up based on the undiscounted cash flows of financial liabilities based on the earliest date on which the financial liabilities
are required to be paid. The tables include both interest and principal cash flows disclosed as remaining contractual maturities and
therefore these totals may differ from their carrying amount in the statement of financial position.
55
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
1 year or less
Between 1
and 2 years
Between 2
and 5 years
Over
5 years
Note
$000
$000
$000
$000
Remaining
contractual
maturities
$000
2014
Non-derivatives
Non-interest bearing
Trade and other payables
14
2013
Non-derivatives
Non-interest bearing
Trade and other payables
14
21,759
21,759
18,319
18,319
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Trade and other payables are payable as and when they are due. The cash flows in the maturity analysis above are not expected to
occur significantly earlier than disclosed.
5. Operating segments
Identification of reportable operating segments
The Group is organised into one operating segment namely an online marketplace. This segment is based on the internal reports
that are reviewed and used by the Board of Directors (who are identified as the Chief Operating Decision Makers (CODM) in
assessing performance and in determining the allocation of resources (AASB 8 para. 5(b)).
The Group operates predominantely in Australia, where substantially all online marketplace revenues and expenses are incurred.
Although the Group has staff and operations in Philippines, United Kingdom and Canada in addition to Australia, these geographic
operations are considered, based on internal management reporting and the allocation of resources by the Group’s CODM, as one
geographic segment.
The CODM assess the performance of the operating segment based on a measure of revenue, EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax,
depreciation and amortisation) and profit before income tax. The accounting policies adopted for internal reporting to the CODM
are consistent with those adopted in the financial statements.
The information reported to the CODM is at least on a monthly basis.
Consolidated
2014
$000
2013
$000
25,609
18,257
117
248
179
150
32
72
148
36
26,087
18,761
6. Revenue
Sales revenue
Marketplace fees
Advertising fees
Other revenue
Interest income
Government grants
Other
Total revenue
56
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note
Consolidated
7. Expenses
Employee expense
Wages and salaries (including superannuation)
Other employment costs
Total employee expenses
Depreciation and amortisation
Plant and equipment
Leasehold improvements
Total depreciation and amortisation expenses
Rental expense relating to operating leases
Minimum lease payments
Rent recovery from sub-lease agreement
Net rental expense relating to operating leases
Net foreign exchange losses
Finance costs
Interest expense
8. Income tax
(a) Income tax
Current tax
Deferred tax
Under provision in prior years
Income tax (benefit)
21
21
Deferred income tax expense included in income tax benefit comprises:
(Increase) in deferred tax assets
(Decrease) in deferred tax liability
Total deferred income tax
(b) Numerical reconciliation of income tax benefit to prima facie income tax payable
(Loss) / Profit from ordinary activities before income tax expense
Tax at the Australian rate of 30%
Tax effect amounts which are not deductible / (taxable) in calculating taxable income:
R&D tax incentive
Difference in tax rate
Share based payments
Over provision in prior years
Allowable deductions in equity
Future benefit of foreign losses
Other non allowable items
Income tax (benefit)
(c) Amounts recognised directly in equity
Deferred tax associated with the issue of IPO shares
2014
$000
2013
$000
12,418
1,966
14,384
8,710
959
9,669
234
104
338
2,120
(110)
2,010
164
21
186
491
-
491
241
366
1
5
Consolidated
2014
$000
2013
$000
(637)
(337)
(6)
(980)
(323)
(14)
(337)
204
(399)
-
(195)
(360)
(39)
(399)
(2,826)
558
(848)
168
(250)
55
(360)
(152)
117 10
(6)
-
(83)
36
(980)
-
(29)
-
169
(195)
104
117
57
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(d) Deferred tax assets
The balance comprises temporary differences attributable to:
Amounts recognised in profit or loss:
Employee benefits
Provision for user disputes & refunds
Legal fees
IPO costs
Foreign exchange losses
Intangible assets
Provision for impairment of receivables
Audit fees
Future benefit of tax losses
Future benefit of foreign tax losses
Other
Total amounts recognised in profit or loss
Amounts recognised directly in equity:
IPO costs
Total amounts recognised in equity
Net deferred tax assets
Movements:
Opening balance at beginning of year
Credited to the profit or loss statement
Credited to equity
Closing balance at end of year
(e) Deferred tax liabilities
The balance comprises temporary differences attributable to:
Fixed assets
Net deferred tax liabilities
Movements:
Opening balance at beginning of year
Credited to the profit or loss statement
Closing balance at end of year
(f) Current tax liabilities
Current tax liabilities
Franking credits
Franking credits available at the reporting date based on a tax rate of 30%
Consolidated
2014
$000
2013
$000
195
130
75
85
71
36
101
368
73
632
83
-
33
24
94
98
77
210
14
-
-
9
1,718
689
104
104
117
117
1,822
806
806
995
21
1,822
1
1
15
(14)
1
4
-
329
360
117
806
15
15
54
(39)
15
169
-
Freelancer Limited and its wholly-owned Australian entities elected to form an income tax consolidated group as of 12 April 2010.
The accounting policy on implementation of the income tax consolidation legislation is set out in Note 3(c).
58
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT 9. Cash and cash equivalents
Current
Cash at bank and on hand
Term deposits
Total cash and cash equivalents
10. Trade and other receivables
Current
Trade receivables
Less: provisions for impairment of trade receivables
Current trade receivables net of provisions for impairment
Payment gateway receivables
Other receivables
Total current trade and other receivables
Non-Current
Payment gateway receivables
Total trade and other receivables
(a) Provision for impaired trade receivables
Opening balance
Provisions for impairment recognised during the year
Exchange differences
Closing balance
(b) Ageing of trade receivables
1-30 days
31-60 days
61-90 days
90+ days
Provision for impairment
Total trade receivables net of provision for impairment
(c) Other receivables
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Consolidated
2014
$000
2013
$000
18,966
1,245
20,210
16,362
8,025
24,387
Consolidated
2014
$000
2013
$000
1,456
(1,205)
251
2,489
10
2,750
830
(701)
129
1,998
36
2,163
191
176
2,941
2,339
701
283
221
1,205
220
170
139
927
(1,205)
251
454
153
94
701
129
82
68
551
(701)
129
Other receivables as at 31 December 2014 and as at 31 December 2013 are predominantly attributable to accrued interest.
11. Other assets
Current
Prepayments
Security deposits
Other
Total current other assets
Non-current
Security deposits
Total non-current other assets
Total other assets
Consolidated
2014
$000
2013
$000
513
73
75
661
488
488
209
191
-
401
-
-
1,149
401
59
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
12. Plant and equipment
Non-current
Office and computer equipment – at cost
Accumulated depreciation
Carrying value of office and computer equipment
Fixtures and fittings – at cost
Accumulated depreciation
Carrying value of fixtures and fittings
Motor vehicles – at cost
Accumulated depreciation
Carrying value of motor vehicles
Software – at cost
Accumulated depreciation
Carrying value of software
Leasehold improvements – at cost
Accumulated amortisation
Carrying value of leasehold improvements
Consolidated
2014
$000
2013
$000
809
(245)
564
330
(108)
222
42
(42)
-
6
(6)
-
462
(135)
328
459
(135)
324
263
(91)
172
42
(35)
8
6
(6)
-
129
(72)
57
Total carrying value of plant and equipment
1,113
561
Reconciliations
Reconciliations of the carrying amount of plant and equipment and leasehold improvements at the beginning and end of the
current financial year are set out below:
Consolidated
Balance at 1 January 2013
Additions
Depreciation and amortisation
Balance at 31 December 2013
Additions
Disposals
Depreciation and amortisation
Balance at 31 December 2014
Office and
computer
equipment
$000
235
170
(82)
324
394
(2)
(152)
564
Fixtures and
fittings
Motor
Vehicles
Software
Leasehold
improvements
$000
130
90
(48)
172
132
(9)
(74)
222
$000
$000
$000
18
-
(11)
8
-
-
(8)
-
1
-
(1)
-
-
-
-
-
43
59
(45)
57
393
(18)
(104)
328
Total
$000
428
319
(186)
561
919
(28)
(339)
1,113
60
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT
13. Intangible assets
Non-current
Trademarks – at cost
Accumulated impairment
Accumulated amortisation
Carrying value of trademarks
Domain names – at cost
Accumulated impairment
Accumulated amortisation
Carrying value of domain names
Goodwill – at cost
Accumulated impairment
Accumulated amortisation
Carrying value of goodwill
Total carrying value of intangible assets
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Consolidated
2014
$000
2013
$000
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
3,075
(28)
-
3,047
2,852
(28)
-
2,824
9,906
6,062
-
-
9,906
-
-
6,062
12,953
8,886
Reconciliations
Reconciliations of the carrying amount of intangible assets at the beginning and end of the current and previous financial year are
set out below:
Consolidated
Balance at 1 January 2013
Additions
Impairment
Amortisation
Balance at 31 December 2013
Additions
Impairment
Amortisation
Balance at 31 December 2014
Trademarks
$000
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Domain
names
$000
1,423
1,401
-
-
2,824
223
-
-
3,047
Goodwill
$000
6,062
-
-
-
6,062
3,843
-
-
9,906
Total
$000
7,485
1,401
-
-
8,886
4,067
-
-
12,953
The Directors have determined the useful life of domain names is indefinite and subject to an annual test for impairment of the fair
value of the domain names. The Directors have assessed the recoverability of domain names and goodwill based on value in use
calculations.
The recoverable amount of the Group’s intangible assets has been determined by a value-in-use calculation using a discounted
cash flow model, based on a 12 month projection period for the Group approved by management and extrapolated for a further 5
years with a discounted terminal value.
Key assumptions used in the discounted cash flow model in relation to the intangibles included a 30% pre-tax discount rate, 2.5%
terminal growth rate and constant annual free cash flow growth rate over the FY15-FY20 forecast period of 39% (6% CAGR from
FY16-FY20).
The discount rate of 30% pre-tax reflects management’s estimate of the time value of money and the Group’s weighted average
cost of capital adjusted for the risk free rate and the volatility of the share price relative to market movements.
Based on the above, management is satisfied that there are no indicators of impairment to the current carrying value of intangible
assets.
61
Consolidated
2014
$000
2013
$000
1,383
412
19,965
21,759
710
128
17,481
18,319
Consolidated
2014
$000
2013
$000
250
734
137
1,120
57
48
104
110
377
-
487
-
-
-
1,225
487
Notes
16(b)
16(c)
2014
Number
2013
Number
2014
$000
2013
$000
Consolidated
436,330,004
436,000,000
17,520
17,556
-
-
-
-
17,520
17,556
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
14. Trade and other payables
Current
Trade payables
Sundry payables and accrued expenses
User obligations
Total trade and other payables
15. Provisions
Current
Provision for user disputes and refunds
Employee benefits
Other
Total current provisions
Non-current
Make-good provisions
Employee benefits
Total non-current provisions
Total provisions
16. Contributed equity
(a) Share capital
Ordinary shares
Fully paid
Series A preference shares
Fully paid
Total share capital
62
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT (b) Movements in ordinary share capital
Reconciliation to 31 December 2013
Balance at 1 January 2013
Issue of ordinary shares:
Conversion of Series A preference shares
Share split
Issue of ESP shares 1
Issue of ordinary shares under IPO 2
Issue of ESP shares under IPO 1
Balance at 31 December 2013
Reconciliation to 31 December 2014
Balance at 31 December 2013
Capitalised equity raising costs (net of tax)
Issue / (cancellation) of ordinary shares:
Issue of ESP shares 1
Buy-back and cancellation of ESP shares
Contributed equity arising from repayment of ESP loans
Balance at 31 December 2014
(c) Movements in Series A preference share capital
Reconciliation to 31 December 2013
Balance at 1 January 2013
Cancellation of Series A preference shares:
Conversion of Series A preference shares
Balance at 31 December 2013
Reconciliation to 31 December 2014
Balance at 31 December 2013
Balance at 31 December 2014
(d) Ordinary shares
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Number
of shares
Average
price
$000
8,818,001
-
372
6,381,501
384,800,498
900,000
30,000,000
5,100,000
436,000,000
436,000,000
-
2,675,000
(2,344,996)
-
436,330,004
$0.40
2,553
-
$0.50
$0.50
$0.50
-
$1.25
$1.03
-
-
-
14,631
-
17,556
17,556
(50)
-
-
14
17,520
Number
of shares
Average
price
$000
6,381,501
-
2,553
(6,381,501)
$0.40
(2,553)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Ordinary shares have the right to receive dividends as declared, and, in the event of winding up the Company, to participate in the
proceeds from the sale of all surplus assets in proportion to the number of and amounts paid up on shares held. Ordinary shares
entitle their holder to one vote, either in person or by proxy, at a meeting of the Company.
(e) Series A preference shares
The Series A preference shares were converted to ordinary shares on 14 October 2013. The Series A preference shares were not
redeemable and a Series A preference shareholder had the same right as an ordinary shareholder at a shareholders’ meeting. A
Series A preference shareholder had the right, at any time, to convert Series A preference shares into a number of fully paid ordinary
shares calculated in accordance with the Constitution at the time. If a target realisation event occurred, all of the Series A preference
shares would, just prior to the implementation of the target realisation event, be converted into a number of fully paid ordinary
shares in accordance with the Constitution at the time. In the event of an issue of shares or other securities in the capital at a price
less than the issue price for a Series A preference share or at a price less than any previously adjusted conversion price calculated in
accordance with the Constitution at the time whether by way of new issue or exercise of options or other convertible securities, the
conversion price for the Series A preference share would have been adjusted in accordance with the Constitution at the time.
Note
1. As the ESP is considered in substance a share option, the ESP shares issued and corresponding loan receivables are not recognised by the Group
in its financial statements. The loan receivable does not satisfy the “probable future benefits following to the entity” criteria of SAC 2 Framework for
the Preparation and Presentation of Financial Statements on the basis that the loan is non-recourse. The ESP shares will not be considered issued to
participants until the corresponding loan has been repaid, at which time there will be an increase in the issued capital and increase in cash.
2. Net of transaction costs of $485,000 and associated tax benefit of $117,000.
63
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(f) Employee Share Plan (ESP)
Information relating to the Employee Share Plan, including details of shares issued under the plan, is set out in Note 22.
(g) Capital risk management
The Group’s objectives when managing capital are to safeguard its ability to continue as a going concern, so that it can provide
returns to shareholders and benefits for other stakeholders and to maintain an optimum capital structure to reduce the cost of
capital.
In order to maintain or adjust the capital structure, the Group may adjust the amount of dividends paid to shareholders, return
capital to shareholders, issue new shares or sell assets to reduce debt. The Group would look to raise capital when an opportunity
to invest in a business or company was seen as value adding relative to the current parent entity’s share price at the time of the
investment. The Group actively pursues additional investments as part of its growth strategy.
The capital risk management policy remains unchanged from the 2013 Annual Report.
Consolidated
2014
$000
2013
$000
33
388
421
(230)
(83)
(313)
-
33
33
-
(230)
(230)
17. Equity – reserves
Share based payment reserve movements
Balance at the beginning of the period
Share based payment expense
Balance at the end of the period
Foreign currency translation reserve movements
Balance at the beginning of the period
Currency translation differences arising during the period
Balance at the end of the period
18. Key management personnel disclosures
(a) Directors
The following persons were Directors of Freelancer Limited during the financial year
Mr Robert Matthew Barrie – Executive Chairman
Mr Darren Nicholas John Williams – Executive Director
Mr Simon Alvin Clausen – Non-Executive Director
(b) Other key management personnel
The following persons also had the authority and responsibility for planning, directing and controlling the major activities of the
Group, directly or indirectly, during the financial year:
Mr Neil Leonard Katz – Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary
(c) Key management personnel compensation
Short-term employee benefits
Share based employee benefits
Other long term benefits
Total benefits
Consolidated
2014
$000
982
56
73
1,111
2013
$000
713
9
38
760
Short-term employee benefits
These amount include fees and benefits paid to the Non-Executive Chair and Non-Executive Directors as well as all salary, paid
leave benefits, fringe benefits and cash bonuses awarded to Executive Directors and other KMP.
Other long-term benefits
These amounts represent long service leave benefits accruing during the year, long-term disability benefits and deferred bonus
payments.
64
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Share based payments
These amounts represent the expense related to the participation of KMP in equity-settled schemes as measured by the fair value of
the options rights and shares granted on grant date.
Further information in relation to KMP remuneration can be found in the Director’s Report.
19. Remuneration of auditors
During the year the following fees were paid for services provided by the auditor of the parent entity, its related practices and non-
related audit firms:
(a) Hall Chadwick
Audit and other assurance services
Audit and review of financial reports
Due diligence services
Total remuneration for audit and other assurance services
Taxation services
Tax compliance services, including review of Company income tax returns
Consolidated
2014
$000
2013
$000
101
-
101
38
45
50
95
8
Total remuneration of Hall Chadwick
139
103
(b) Audit firms other than Hall Chadwick
Audit and other assurance services
Audit and review of financial reports
Taxation services
Tax compliance services, including review of subsidiary income tax returns
Total remuneration of audit firms other than Hall Chadwick
Total auditors remuneration
20. Contingent liabilities
29
11
39
178
6
4
10
113
Except for the items listed below, there are no other contingent liabilities as at 31 December 2014:
• a collateral amount of USD100,000 (2013: USD100,000) is in place in one of the Group’s PayPal accounts in favour of PayPal
Australia Pty Ltd;
• a term deposit of $20,000 (2013: $20,000) is secured for corporate credit card facilities in place;
• a deposit of $376,000 (2013: $313,000) is held by Global Collect Services B.V, which is one of the Group’s credit card
processing providers, as security for any contractual compensation arising under this agreement;
• a deposit of GBP100,000 (2013: GBP100,000) is held by WorldPay (UK) Limited, which is one of the Group’s credit card
processing providers, as security for any contractual compensation arising under this agreement; and
•
included in cash is an amount of $724,000 on term deposit, which is secured against a bank guarantee that has been provided
to the lessor in respect of premises occupied by the Company at Level 20, 680 George Street Sydney.
65
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
21. Commitments for expenditure
(a) Non-cancellable operating leases
The Group has entered into commercial leases for office property. As at 31 December 2014 these leases had remaining lives ranging
from 1.5 months up to 64 months. Rentals paid under operating leases are charged to the income statement on a straight line basis
over the period of the lease. Future minimum rentals payable under non-cancellable operating leases as at 31 December are as
follows:
Less than one year
Between one and five years
More than five years
Total operating lease commitments
(b) Sub-lease arrangement
Consolidated
2014
$000
2,338
6,998
372
9,709
2013
$000
1,739
3,844
-
5,583
The Group has entered into a sub-lease arrangement with respect to the Group’s previous head office for which it is subject to a
commercial lease expiring 16 February 2016. Rentals paid to the Group under this sub-lease are reflected as a reduction in rental
expense in the profit or loss statement on a straight line basis over the period of the lease. Future minimum rentals receivable under
the sub-lease arrangement as at 31 December 2014 are as follows:
Less than one year
Between one and five years
More than five years
Total sub-lease commitments
Consolidated
2014
$000
2013
$000
360
45
-
405
-
-
-
-
A provision for onerous contracts has been recognised for the difference in the unavoidable cost of meeting the obligations under
this lease to the expected benefits to be derived by the Group from the sublease and is included in other provisions in Note 15.
(c) Other capital commitments
There were no capital commitments as at 31 December 2014.
22. Share based payments
During the year ended 31 December 2013, the Company established a share based payment plan, the Employee Share Plan (ESP) to
assist the Company in retaining and attracting current and future employees by providing them with the opportunity to own shares
in the Company.
The key terms of the ESP are as follows:
•
•
•
the Board may invite a person who is employed or engaged by or holds an office with the Group (whether on a full or part-
time basis) and who is declared by the Board to be eligible to participate in the ESP from time to time (Eligible Employee) to
apply for fully paid ordinary shares under the plan from time to time (ESP shares);
invitations to apply for ESP shares offered to Eligible Employees subsequent to the Company’s initial public offering are to be
made on the basis of the market price per share defined as the volume weighted average price at which the Company’s shares
have traded during the 30 days immediately preceding the date of the invitation;
invitations to apply for ESP shares under the ESP will be made on a basis determined by the Board (including as to the
conditionality on the achievement of any key performance indicators) and notified to Eligible Employees in the invitation, or if
no such determination is made by the Board, on the basis that ESP shares will be subject to a 4 year vesting period, with:
- 25% of ESP shares applied for vesting on the date that is the first anniversary of the issue date of the ESP shares; and
- 1/36th of the remaining number of ESP shares vesting on the last day of each calendar month commencing in the following
calendar month.
• Eligible Employees who accept an invitation (ESP Participants) may be offered an interest free loan from the Company to
finance the whole of the purchase of the ESP shares they are invited to apply for (ESP Loan). ESP Loans will have a term of 4
years and become repayable in full on the earlier of:
- the fourth anniversary of the issue date of the Employee Offer Shares; and
66
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
- if the ESP Participant ceases to be an Eligible Employee, either:
- the date 30 days after the date of cessation, if the Eligible Employee is a good leaver (as defined in the ESP); or
- that date of cessation, if the Eligible Employee is a bad leaver (as defined in the ESP).
•
if the ESP Participant does not repay the outstanding ESP Loan, or it notifies the Company that it cannot, then such number
of ESP shares that equal by value (using the price at which the ESP shares were issued) the outstanding amount of the ESP
Loan will become the subject of a buy-back notice from the Company which the ESP Participant must accept. The buy-back
of such number of ESP shares will be considered full and final satisfaction of the ESP Loan and the Company will not have any
further recourse against the ESP Participant;
• any dividends received by the ESP Participant whilst the whole or part of the ESP Loan remains outstanding must be applied to
the repayment of the ESP Loan. In addition, an ESP Participant may make pre-payments at any time;
•
•
the maximum number of ESP shares for which invitations may be issued under the ESP together with the number of ESP
shares still to be issued in respect of already accepted invitations and that have already been issued in response to invitations
in the previous 5 years (but disregarding ESP shares that are or were issued following invitations to non-residents, that did
not require a disclosure document under the Corporations Act, or that were issued under a disclosure document under
the Corporations Act) must not exceed 5% of the total number of ordinary shares on issue in the Company at the time the
invitations are made;
in the event of a corporate reconstruction, the Board will adjust, subject to the Listing Rules (if applicable), any one or more
of the maximum number of Shares that may be issued under the ESP (if applicable), the subscription price, the buy-back price
and the number of ESP shares to be vested at any future vesting date (if applicable), as it deems appropriate so that the benefits
conferred on ESP Participants after a corporate reconstruction are the same as the benefits enjoyed by the ESP Participants
before the corporate reconstruction. On conferring the benefit of any corporate reconstruction, any fractional entitlements to
shares will be rounded down to the nearest whole share;
• ESP Participants will continue to have the right to participate in dividends paid by the Company despite some or all of their ESP
shares not having vested yet or being subject to an ESP Loan. If an ESP Loan has been made to the ESP Participant, then any
dividend due must first be applied to reducing any outstanding ESP Loan amount applicable to the ESP shares on which the
dividend is paid;
• ESP shares which have not vested and/or are subject to repayment of the ESP Loan will be restricted (escrowed) from trading;
•
the Company may buy-back at the issue price any ESP shares which:
• have not vested, or are incapable of vesting at any time (including as a result of the ESP Participant failing to meet any key
performance indicators on which vesting of ESP shares is conditional); or
•
remain in escrow and/or are the subject of an ESP Loan, on the occurrence of:
•
•
the ESP Participant ceasing to be an Eligible Employee (unless the Board, in its sole and absolute discretion
determines otherwise, subject to any conditions that it may apply, including the repayment of any outstanding ESP
Loan); or
the expiration of the term of the ESP Loan.
• any bonus securities issued in relation to ESP shares which remain unvested or are subject to an ESP Loan which becomes
repayable in full will be the subject of a buy-back by the Company at the issue price for no consideration;
• on the death or permanent disability of an ESP Participant, all ESP shares held by the ESP Participant or their estate will
immediately vest subject to the repayment of any outstanding ESP Loan by the curator, executor or nominated beneficiary(ies)
(as the case may be) within 30 days of their appointment (or such longer period as the Company in its discretion may allow).
Failing such repayment, the Company will buy-back all ESP shares in respect of which there is an outstanding ESP Loan;
•
•
•
the rules of the ESP and any amendment to the rules of the ESP must be in accordance with the Listing Rules and the
Corporations Act;
if, while the Company’s shares are traded on the ASX or any other stock exchange, there is any inconsistency between the
terms of the ESP and the Listing Rules, the Listing Rules will prevail; and
the ESP is governed by the laws of the State of New South Wales, Australia.
67
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The full terms of the ESP are available on the Company’s website, www.freelancer.com.
(a) ESP share grants
Set out below are summaries of ESP shares granted and issued under the plan:
Grant date
Issue price
Balance at
the start of
the year
Granted /
issued
Released
from
restrictions
Forfeited /
cancelled
Balance at
the end of
the year
Balance of
unvested
ESP shares
Balance of
vested ESP
shares
2014
14 October 2013
$0.50
900,000
13 November 2013
$0.50
5,100,000
28 February 2014
22 May 2014
3 November 2014
$1.54
$1.14
$0.70
-
-
-
-
-
1,200,000
1,050,000
425,000
-
-
900,000
637,501
262,499
(28,687)
(1,144,996)
3,926,317
2,976,211
950,106
-
-
-
(1,200,000)
-
-
-
-
1,050,000
1,050,000
425,000
325,000
100,000
-
-
Total
2013
6,000,000
2,675,000
(28,687)
(2,344,996)
6,301,317
4,988,712
1,312,605
14 October 2013
13 November 2013
$0.50
$0.50
Total
-
-
-
900,000
5,100,000
6,000,000
-
-
-
-
-
-
900,000
900,000
5,100,000
5,100,000
6,000,000
6,000,000
-
-
-
All Eligible Employees who accepted an offer of ESP shares were given an interest free loan from the Company to finance the whole
of the purchase of the ESP shares they were invited to apply for (ESP Loan).
The ESP Loans are provided to participants on a non-recourse basis and upon vesting must be repaid in order to remove trading
restrictions on vested ESP shares. The term of the ESP Loan is four years, however participants may forfeit their ESP shares if they
do not repay the ESP Loan or leave the Company. As the ESP removes the risk to participants from decreases in the share price
by limiting the maximum loan amount repayable to the value of the ESP shares disposed and waiving the ESP Loan should the
participant forfeit their ESP shares, whilst still allowing participants the rewards of any increase in share price, the Company has
effectively granted the participants an option to the ESP shares due to the ESP Loans being non-recourse. As such, this arrangement
is accounted for under AASB 2.
The assessed weighted average fair value at grant date of the effective share options granted during the financial year is $0.24 per
option (2013: $0.16). Options were priced using a Black-Scholes option pricing model that takes into account the exercise price,
the term of the option, the impact of dilution, the share price at grant date and expected price volatility of the underlying share,
the expected dividend yield and the risk free interest rate for the term of the option. The expected price volatility of the Company’s
shares is based on the historical volatility of ASX listed companies considered to be comparable to Freelancer Limited.
The model inputs for the share option grants outstanding during the years ended 31 December 2013 and 31 December 2014
include:
Grant date
Exercise price
Expiry dates
Share price at
grant date
Expected price
volatility
Expected divi-
dend yield
Risk-free
interest rate
14 October 2013
13 November 2013
28 February 2014
22 May 2014
3 November 2014
$0.50
$0.50
$1.54
$1.14
$0.70
IPO price
Various based
on the vesting
terms of the ESP
shares
Various based on
the grant dates
33.9%
34.1%
34.5%
33.7%
32.6%
-
-
-
-
-
3.63%
3.54%
3.36%
3.23%
2.79%
68
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(b) Share grants
On 29 October 2014, the Company agreed to issue a maximum of 1,733,333 fully paid ordinary shares to certain employees. The
agreement to issue shares was made outside of the ESP.
The issue of the incentive shares will occur in several tranches, with each tranche conditional only upon the respective personnel
being in on-going employment on the respective issue dates. The issue of shares in each tranche will occur as follows:
• 325,000 shares to be issued on 1 July 2015;
• 433,333 shares to be issued on 1 July 2016;
• 433,333 shares to be issued on 1 July 2017;
• 433,333 shares to be issued on 1 July 2018; and
• 108,334 shares to be issued on 1 October 2018.
The new shares will rank equally with existing ordinary shares in the Company and the issue price of each tranche will be the 5 day
volume weighted average price of the Company’s shares on the date of issue of the incentive shares.
The assessed weighted average fair value at grant date of the share grants issued during the financial year is $0.705 per share (2013:
nil). The fair value of the share grants is determined based on the value of the shares at grant date less the present value of dividends
expected to be distributed between the grant date and the issue dates.
23. Related party transactions
(a) Parent entity
Freelancer Limited is the parent entity and ultimate controlling entity.
(b) Subsidiaries
Interests in subsidiaries are set out in Note 26.
(c) Transactions with key management personnel
Disclosures relating to key management personnel are set out in Note 18 and the Remuneration Report.
(d) Transactions with related parties
The following transactions occurred with related parties:
Licence fees paid to Startive Ventures, Inc a company associated with S.A. Clausen for the exclusive use of
various domain names
Purchase of various domain names from Startive Ventures, Inc a company associated with S.A. Clausen
Consolidated
2014
$000
2013
$000
-
-
7
1,348
Receivable from and payable to related parties
There were no receivables from or payable to related parties at reporting date in relation to transactions with related parties detailed
above.
Loans to / from related parties
There were no loans to or from related parties at the reporting date.
Terms and conditions
All transactions were made on normal commercial terms and conditions and at market rates.
69
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
24. Parent entity information
Set out below is the supplementary information about the parent entity.
Statement of comprehensive income
(Loss) after tax
Total comprehensive loss
Statement of financial position
Current assets
Non-current assets
Total assets
Current liabilities
Non-current liabilities
Total liabilities
Net assets
Contributed equity
Reserves
Accumulated losses
Total equity
Contingent liabilities
Parent
2014
$000
2013
$000
(339)
(339)
(249)
(249)
1,045
16,312
17,357
3
-
3
9,727
7,821
17,548
208
-
208
17,354
17,340
17,520
17,556
421
(587)
17,354
33
(249)
17,340
The parent entity had no contingent liabilities at 31 December 2014 and 31 December 2013.
Capital commitments – plant and equipment
The parent entity had no capital commitments for plant and equipment as at 31 December 2014 and 31 December 2013.
Significant accounting policies
The accounting policies of the parent entity are consistent with those of the Group, as disclosed in Note 3, except for investments in
subsidiaries which are accounted for at cost, less any impairment.
25. Business combinations
(a) Acquisition of Warrior Forum
On 15 April 2014, the Group acquired the assets of Warrior Forum, warriorforum.com, from Clifton Allen Says Jr. for a purchase
consideration of $3.4 million. Warrior Forum is an online marketplace and community for Internet marketing professionals.
Warrior Forum contributed marketplace and advertising revenues of $1.1 million for the period 15 April 2014 to 31 December 2014.
The Group has determined it impracticable to disclose the profit or loss of Warrior Forum included in the consolidated statement of
profit or loss and other comprehensive income for the period 15 April 2014 to 31 December 2014. The Group has assessed that an
objective determination of the net profit was not able to be made due to the integrated nature of the Group’s website operations
and as such disclosure has not been made.
The Group has determined it impracticable to disclose the revenue and net profit/loss included in the consolidated statement of
profit or loss and other comprehensive income had the acquisition of the assets of Warrior Forum occurred at the beginning of the
reporting period. The Group has assessed that an objective determination of the revenue and net profit since the beginning of the
reporting period was not able to be made due to the integrated nature of the Group’s website operations and as such disclosure has
not been made.
Purchase consideration:
Cash
Fair value of net identifiable assets acquired:
Goodwill on acquisition
Total purchase consideration
70
$000
3,422
3,422
3,422
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(b) Acquisition of other businesses
The acquisition of other assets and liabilities, which prior to acquisition operated as standalone websites, each individually
immaterial, had the following effect on the Group’s assets and liabilities:
Purchase consideration:
Cash
Fair value of net identifiable assets and liabilities acquired:
User obligations
Goodwill on acquisition
Total purchase consideration
$000
269
(152)
421
269
The Group has assessed that an objective determination of the revenue and net profit from the date of acquisition of these other
businesses to 31 December 2014, which prior to acquisition operated as standalone websites, was not able to be made due to the
integrated nature of the Group’s website operations and as such disclosure has not been made.
The Group has determined it impracticable to disclose the revenue and net profit/loss included in the consolidated statement of
profit or loss and other comprehensive income had the acquisition of the other businesses, which prior to acquisition operated as
standalone websites, occurred at the beginning of the reporting period. The Group has assessed that an objective determination of
the revenue and net profit since the beginning of the reporting period was not able to be made due to the integrated nature of the
Group’s website operations and as such disclosure has not been made.
26. Interests in controlled entities
The consolidated financial statements incorporate the assets, liabilities and results of the following subsidiaries in accordance with
the accounting policy described in Note 3:
Country of
incorporation
Percentage Owned (%)
2014
2013
Name of entity
Subsidiaries of Freelancer Limited:
Freelancer International Pty Ltd
Freelancer Technology Pty Ltd
Freelancer India Pty Ltd
Warrior Forum Pty Ltd (formerly Freelancer Pakistan Pty Ltd)
Warrior Technology Pty Ltd (formerly Freelancer Bangladesh Pty Ltd)
Payments Pty Ltd
Payments Australia Pty Ltd
Payments IP Pty Ltd
Freelancer Networks (Canada) Inc
Freelancer Outsourcing Inc
Freelancer.com Pte Limited
Freelancer Belize Limited
Freelancer International GmbH
Freemarket (Switzerland) GmbH
Freelancer Online India Private Limited
Freelancer.com Philippines, Inc
Australia
Australia
Australia
Australia
Australia
Australia
Australia
Australia
Canada
Canada
Singapore
Belize
Switzerland
Switzerland
India
Philippines
Freelancer Outsourcing UK Limited
Freelancer (Shanghai) Information Technology Co., Ltd. (incorporated
on 16 December 2014)
United Kingdom
China
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
-
27. Events occurring after the reporting date
There are no other matters or circumstances that have arisen since 31 December 2014 that have significantly affected, or may
significantly affect:
•
•
•
the aggregated entity’s operations in the future financial years, or
the results of those operations in future financial years, or
the aggregated entity’s state of affairs in the future financial affairs.
71
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
28. Reconciliation of (loss) / profit after tax to net cash flow from
operating activities
(Loss) / Profit for the year
Non-cash items in operating (loss) / profit:
Depreciation and amortisation
Share based payments expense
Net exchange differences
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
(Increase) in trade and other receivables
Decrease / (increase) in deferred tax assets
(Increase) / decrease in other assets
(Decrease) / increase in trade and other creditors
Increase / (decrease) in provision for income tax
(Decrease) / increase in deferred tax liabilities
Increase in provisions for employee benefits
Increase in other provisions
Net cash (outflow) / inflow from operating activities
29. Earnings per share (EPS)
(a) Basic earnings per share
From operations attributable to the ordinary equity of the Company
Total basic earnings per share attributable to the ordinary equity holders of the Company
(b) Diluted earnings per share
From operations attributable to the ordinary equity of the Company
Total basic earnings per share attributable to the ordinary equity holders of the Company
(c) Reconciliation of earnings used in calculating earnings per share
Basic earnings per share:
(Loss) / profit from continuing operations ($000s)
Diluted earnings per share:
(Loss) / profit attributable to the ordinary equity holders of the Company ($000s)
2014
$000
(1,847)
338
388
38
(352)
(995)
(373)
2,149
(165)
(14)
404
334
(94)
2013
$000
753
186
33
356
(733)
(360)
(235)
(255)
329
(39)
153
56
245
Consolidated
2014
Cents
(0.43)
(0.43)
(0.42)
(0.42)
(1,847)
(1,847)
2013
Cents
0.19
0.19
0.19
0.19
753
753
(d) Weighted average number of shares used as the denominator
Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in calculating basic earnings per share
430,003,380
402,849,315
Adjustments for calculation of ordinary shares used in calculating diluted earnings per share:
ESP shares
Share grants
Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in calculating diluted earnings per share
6,640,872
744,658
299,178
436,943,430
-
403,593,973
(e) Information on the classification of securities
ESP shares and share grants
ESP shares granted to employees under the ESP and shares granted to employees outside of the ESP are considered to be potential
ordinary shares and have been included in the determination of diluted earnings per share to the extent to which they are dilutive.
The ESP shares and share grants have not been included in the determination of basic earnings per share. Details relating to the ESP
shares are set out in Note 22.
72
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORT DIRECTORS DECLARATION
DIRECTORS’ DECLARATION
In the Directors’ opinion:
•
the Financial Statements and notes of the consolidated entity set out
on pages 42 to 72 are in accordance with the Corporations Act 2001,
including:
• giving a true and fair view of the consolidated entity’s financial position
as at 31 December 2014 and of its performance for the financial year
ended on that date; and
• complying with Australian Accounting Standards, the Corporations
Regulations 2001 and other mandatory professional reporting
requirements;
• Note 2(a) confirms that the Financial Statements also comply with
International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International
Accounting Standards Board;
•
•
there are reasonable grounds to believe that the Company will be able
to pay its debts as and when they become due and payable; and
the Directors have been given the declarations by the Chief Executive
Officer and Chief Financial Officer required by section 295A of the
Corporations Act 2001 for the financial year ending 31 December 2014.
This declaration is made in accordance with a resolution of the Directors.
On behalf of the directors
Matt Barrie
Chairman
16 February 2015
73
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT
FREELANCER LIMITED
ABN 66 141 959 042
AND CONTROLLED ENTITIES
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF
FREELANCER LIMITED AND CONTROLLED ENTITIES
Report on the Financial Report
We have audited the accompanying financial report of Freelancer Limited, which comprises
the consolidated statement of financial position as at 31 December 2014, the consolidated
statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income, the consolidated statement of
changes in equity and the consolidated statement of cash flows for the year then ended, notes
comprising a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory information
and the directors’ declaration of the consolidated entity comprising the company and the
entities it controlled at the year’s end or from time to time during the financial year.
Directors’ Responsibility for the Financial Report
The directors of the company are responsible for the preparation of the financial report
that gives a true and fair view in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards and the
Corporations Act 2001 and for such internal control as the directors determine is necessary to
enable the preparation of the financial report that is free from material misstatement, whether
due to fraud or error. In Note 2, the directors also state, in accordance with Accounting
Standard AASB 101: Presentation of Financial Statements, that the financial statements comply
with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).
Auditor’s Responsibility
Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the financial report based on our audit. We
conducted our audit in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards. Those standards require
that we comply with relevant ethical requirements relating to audit engagements and plan
and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance whether the financial report is free from
material misstatement.
An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and
disclosures in the financial report. The procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgment,
including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial report, whether
due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control
relevant to the entity’s preparation and fair presentation of the financial report in order to
design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose
of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal control. An audit also
includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of
accounting estimates made by the directors, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of
the financial report.
We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a
basis for our audit opinion.
74
FREELANCER LIMITED 2014 ANNUAL REPORTLiability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation. SYDNEY Level 40 2 Park Street Sydney NSW 2000 AustraliaGPO Box 3555 Sydney NSW 2001 Ph: (612) 9263 2600 Fx: (612) 9263 2800 A member of Hall Chadwick Association, an association of separate and independent accounting and consulting firms .www.hallchadwick.com.auChartered Accountants and Business Advisers INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT
Independence
In conducting our audit, we have complied with the independence requirements of the
Corporations Act 2001.
Auditor’s Opinion
In our opinion:
•
•
the financial report of Freelancer Limited is in accordance with the Corporations Act
2001, including:
1. giving a true and fair view of the consolidated entity’s financial position as at 31
December 2014 and of its performance for the year ended on that date; and
2. complying with Australian Accounting Standards and the Corporations Regulations
2001; and
the financial report also complies with International Financial Reporting Standards as
disclosed in Note 2.
Report on the Remuneration Report
We have audited the remuneration report included in pages 31 to 34 of the directors’ report
for the year ended 31 December 2014. The directors of the company are responsible for the
preparation and presentation of the remuneration report in accordance with s 300A of the
Corporations Act 2001. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the remuneration report,
based on our audit conducted in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards.
Auditor’s Opinion
In our opinion the remuneration report of Freelancer Limited for the year ended 31 December
2014 complies with s 300A of the Corporations Act 2001.
Hall Chadwick
Level 40, 2 Park Street
Sydney NSW 2000
GRAHAM WEBB
Partner
Dated: 16 February 2015
75
Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation. Chartered Accountants and Business AdvisersSYDNEY Level 40 2 Park Street Sydney NSW 2000 AustraliaGPO Box 3555 Sydney NSW 2001 Ph: (612) 9263 2600 Fx: (612) 9263 2800 A member of Hall Chadwick Association, an association of separate and independent accounting and consulting firms .www.hallchadwick.com.au ADDITIONAL ASX INFORMATION
ADDITIONAL ASX INFORMATION
Shareholder information
Additional information required by the Australian Securities Exchange Limited Listing Rules and not disclosed elsewhere in this
report. This additional information was applicable as at 13 February 2015.
Substantial shareholders
The names of substantial shareholders who have notified the Company in accordance with section 671B of the Corporations Act
2001 are:
Robert Matthew Barrie 1
Simon Clausen and Startive Holdings Limited and its related bodies 2
Number of shares
206,446,891
177,230,004
Top 20 Shareholders as at 13 February 2015
Rank
Name
Number of ordinary
shares held
% of ordinary shares
held
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Matt Barrie
Startive Holdings Limited
Darren Williams
HSBC Custody Nominees (Australia) Limited
National Nominees Limited
Continue reading text version or see original annual report in PDF format above