At Aurion, a key aspect of our work is to keep up to date with emerging regulatory or reporting trends in payroll and data collection and the effect on compliance. Toward the end of March 2021, when the Australia Business Software Industry Association (ABSIA) hosted a series of webinars on government initiatives to reduce organisations’ compliance burden, Aurion team members took the time to attend and comment on what the changes will mean for our customer community.
Digital transformation in action
Transforming ABS Data Collection with John Shepherd, General Manager, Industry Statistics Division, Australian Bureau of Statistics: John discussed what the ABS have done with this data so far as well as future plans to expand this collection whilst reducing survey burden on business.
Aurion Product Owner Cameron Begley welcomed the Federal Government’s increased focus on data consistency and availability. “Our Federal Government partners are looking to make data more consistent and available, but most recognise it’s going to be a long journey,” says Cameron.
“All of the agencies featured in the webinars (the ABS, the Fair Work Commission, and the Gateway Network Governance Body) are keen to make the data securely available for software vendors to accelerate innovation,” said Cameron. “Having these integrations should allow for quicker consumption of the information available, and quicker solutions for Australian businesses and consumers.”
Fair Work Commission Modern Awards Pay Database API with Trudy Jones, Senior Research Officer, Modern Awards, Economics and Research Section, Fair Work Commission: With continued work between the Commission and the industry, the FWC provided an update on the MAP database and the API that is being developed.
“The proposed initiatives are really in the planning stage so will take time,” said Aurion Product Owner Dan Dawson, who went to the ABSIA webinars looking to understand future trends in payroll and data collection. “The clear, positive message from all of the agencies represented was their intent to leverage the great work the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has done with Single Touch Payroll (STP).”
Cyber Risks within the Superannuation Ecosystem with Michelle Bower, Executive Officer, Gateway Network Governance Body (GNGB) and Peter Malan, Partner, Cybersecurity & Digital Trust, PwC Australia: covered the insights from the research report released by GNGB in February on Cyber Risks within the Superannuation Ecosystem.
Understanding consumers to remove red tape
The news from the webinars was very positive for our customers and the wider business community, explains Aurion Product and Marketing Manager, Reianna Vercoe: “I went to the webinars to better understand how the Federal Government’s digital transformation objectives are being translated into strategy and action, and I’m pleased to say the progress is going well.”
Reianna particularly praised the commitment to reducing the burden on business. “Every agency has taken the time to understand the consumers they rely on, and how best to adapt their services to remove red tape and excessive work for them. Particularly with things like ABS surveys and Fair Work’s commitment to automate award checks, there’s a real desire to make things easier.”
Your compliance resources
These sessions were recorded and will be made available to all webinar attendees and ABSIA members.
ABSIA is a not-for-profit association acting as the collective voice of the Australian business software industry and how it engages with the government. ABSIA Members comprise of software developers, service providers, consulting services, large corporations, SMEs and individual consumers.
Check out ABSIA to learn more about their events, and follow Aurion on LinkedIn to keep up with the latest people and payroll news. For more updates about future compliance and legislative changes, subscribe to our mailing list today.
