The ATO has outlined its technology priorities for 2019 and beyond, along with a new approach to working with product and service providers across the full range of ATO information technology activities.
Chief Information Officer Ramez Katf said the ATO is looking at the future products and services needed to deliver continuous improvement in the user experience, and ensuring the contracts which underpin them are fit for purpose.
“We have a clear path of work ahead of us, with our first focus on finalising the move of tax agent and intermediary portals to the ATO online services platform.
“As well as delivering that vital piece of work, we will be developing our new e-commerce platform, supporting the next stage of SuperStream and Single Touch Payroll and supporting the modernisation of the Australian Business Registry,” Mr Katf said.
“We’ve just wrapped up another extremely successful Tax Time, with high levels of online usage, strong service availability and faster processing times than ever before. Meanwhile our eCommerce platform is now handling six times as many transactions as 12 months ago.
“This demonstrates that our work to improve system performance and reliability is on the right track as we deliver on our vision for 2024.
“Our IT systems are a critical element in our mission to build trust and confidence in the tax and super systems.”
The ATO is working to accommodate increasing community reliance on ATO’s digital services and an anticipated exponential growth in digital transactions over coming years.
“Australians expect online services to be available 24/7, as well as being easy-to use and intuitive.
“We are committed to providing a contemporary, reliable and secure digital experience for all our users – from those who interact with us multiple times a day, to those who only interact with us once a year.”
Mr Katf said collaboration with IT vendors, tax professionals, the superannuation industry and digital service providers, as well as listening to feedback from users of ATO online services across the board is vital to ensure the ATO is delivering digital experiences the community expects.
“We are increasingly looking to deliver an integrated and flexible future service capability driven by natural systems and digital events, for example, Single Touch Payroll.”
To support these priorities, Mr Katf said the ATO is evolving its approach to IT sourcing.
“In line with the Government’s IT procurement policy, we will split our IT contracts into smaller, more specifically targeted bundles.
“This allows us to reach a wider market of specialist providers for each service and ensure we’re engaging the right expertise.
“We expect to gradually approach the market for each bundle over the next three years, with exact timelines to be determined by a number of factors, including business priorities and the expiry of existing contracts,” he said.
More detail will be provided on each bundle as the ATO approaches the market.
“I look forward to seeing the market’s response as we progress,” Mr Katf said.
