This Strategic Working Group (SWG) meeting was held in Brisbane on 26 March 2026.
Key messages
Summary
Below is a summary of key messages. Note: The full outcomes and presentation materials are available in Online Services for DSPs
Welcome and introductions
Members of the DSP SWG met in Brisbane on 26 March 2026.
ATO Chair, Claire Miller welcomed attendees, recognising new members.
Industry Co-chair, Matthew Prouse thanked DSP members and reinforced the value of their contribution.
Group Activity – Understanding who’s in the room
Co-chair Matthew Prouse and Maggie Leese from DSPANZ ran a group activity to build a shared understanding of group dynamics based on each company’s product offering.
Top 500 Program and GST Program
The Top 500 program is about community confidence. It provides assurance to the community that Australia’s largest privately owned and wealthy groups are meeting their tax obligations and paying the right amount of tax.
Top 500 groups are complex meaning governance and systems risks can scale quickly. Digital service providers play a critical role by reducing cross‑system complexity, improving data integrity and supporting effective lifecycle management as businesses evolve.
ATO Strategy
The ATO Strategy will provide overarching direction for the organisation to 2030, outlining the key shifts the ATO is considering over the coming years. It identifies priority areas including strengthening the system, compliance as default, improved experiences and bringing payments closer to events. The Strategy also informs decisions on investment, workforce, data, technology, and partnerships.
Continuing TBP Conversations with Andrew Orme
Andrew Orme, Secretary of the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB), acknowledged the history around industry concerns with uncertainty about when software providers are regulated under the Tax Agent Services Act (TASA). Andrew confirmed that TPB will continue to engage and take the conversation forward.
Red Tape Reduction Review – DSPANZ
Maggie Leese (DSPANZ) provided a brief overview of the DSPANZ submission to the Board of Tax Red Tape Reduction Review to provide the group with industry perspective around simplifying tax administration for business.
Simplifying tax administration for business
Hoa Wood provided the group with an overview of initiatives outlined in the Commissioner’s letter of 1 August 2025 which are actions that are intended to increase productivity, economic efficiency and budget sustainability.
Payday Super
Members were provided with a summary of readiness, including engagement activity and support material available to DSPs and their customers.
Based on engagement with DSPs, particularly the top 20 impacted, DSPs will be ready before 1 July allowing time for employers to prepare.
Counter Fraud Program
Counter Fraud Program (CFP) was implemented to shift the ATO from an organisation that reacted to fraud after the fact, to a pre-emptive approach that detects fraud in near real time, containing it, and strengthening the system to prevent the fraud happening again in the future.
Recently introduced solutions enable taxpayers to:
- lock and unlock their account in the ATO app (tax agents can see the status of the account in Online Services for Agents)
- ‘verify calls’ by confirming they are speaking with the ATO via the App, counteracting potential phone-based scams
Industry update on Identity Verification
DSPANZ digital identity working group has produced best practice guidance to support DSPs in reducing the unnecessary collection and storage of identity documents. Guidance is written for Australian and New Zealand DSPs and references relevant privacy principles.
Security, policy and compliance
Members were briefed on DPO’s security, policy, and compliance priorities for 2026 including risk assessment outcomes, Operational Security Framework (OSF) uplift activity and areas where DSP engagement or uplift may be required.
Other business
Claire thanked members and guests, reflected on key messages and follow up activities. The floor was opened for comment and members raised interest revisiting the topic of payments.
Next meetings:
- ATO led – Face to Face in Melbourne on 3 June 2026
- Industry led – virtual (date to be confirmed)
Papers:
- 12.1 Australia’s adoption of the Implementation of global minimum tax and domestic minimum tax
If you have any questions, contact the secretariat by email at DPO@ato.gov.au or raise a ticket in the DSP service desk.
No previous versions available.