Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into the voluntary corporate governance disclosure and AC practices among Malaysian property listed companies. Along with that, the influence of AC characteristics on voluntary corporate governance disclosure was also examined. Design/methodology/approach The study used the content analysis of annual reports to extract voluntary corporate governance disclosures and audit committee (AC) practices. The relationship between voluntary corporate governance disclosures and AC characteristics was examined by using the panel data regression analysis. Findings Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that all three variables: AC size, AC independence and AC meetings are the factors that influence the level of voluntary corporate governance disclosure among sampled companies. Practical implications This study provides an overview of voluntary corporate governance disclosures practices, which have shown an increasing trend of information disclosed by Malaysian listed property companies. Additionally, the AC structure was also found satisfactory with highly independent and higher number of meetings as required by Malaysian Code of Corporate Governance and Bursa Malaysia requirement. Social implications By filling the gap identified in this study, investors’ confidence will boost as they will have sufficient information about the Malaysian listed property companies – resulting in strengthening competitiveness and growth by attracting local and foreign investments in the country. The influence of AC attributes over the quality of disclosure among Malaysian listed properties companies is identified, and regulators introduce more explicit rules for AC mechanism for improving the disclosure quality. The increase in the quality of information provided in the annual reports will lead toward highly efficient and transparent stock market. Originality/value This study has provided an insight into corporate governance of listed companies in Malaysia, which will contribute to the extended literature. Along with that, it will also provide an overview of corporate governance structure among Malaysian listed companies to the policy makers.

This study examined the level of voluntary corporate governance disclosures and the influence of firm characteristics (i.e., firm size, firm age, and firm market listing) on the level of these disclosures among Malaysian property listed companies. The check-list to measure the voluntary corporate governance disclosures was adopted from Malaysian corporate governance index 2011 by Minority Shareholder Watchdog Group (MSWG). The voluntary corporate governance disclosure practices and firm specific characteristics were obtained from annual reports of property listed companies on Bursa Malaysia for the period of 2012 to 2015. The findings suggested an improving voluntary corporate governance reforms in Malaysia. However, the firm size was found as an inflicting factor in determining the level and quality of voluntary corporate governance disclosure practices. On the contrary, the results found were contradicting the hypothesis related to firm age and firm market listing, as no relation of voluntary corporate governance disclosures and firm age and firm market listing. The study has made an interesting contribution toward the disclosure and corporate governance by contributing in understanding the importance of quality disclosure and good governance practices.

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