Government Entities Working Group key messages 25 March 2021

Welcome

The co-chairs welcomed members to the second Government Entities Working Group (GEWG) meeting.

Members were advised they are required to disclose any conflict, whether real, perceived, or potential, that arises in relation to their role as a member of the group.

No conflicts of interest were raised.

The secretariat confirmed two permanent membership changes to the group, with Charles Kerr from the Ministry of Health (NSW) leaving and Lisa Davidson replacing Simone Lunny as the government representative from Future Fund.

Finalisation of the Charter and member responsibilities

The final version of the GEWG Charter was provided to members. Co-chair Nella Di Benedetto confirmed that members did not provide any further feedback on the Charter in response to the action item from the first meeting.

Online services for business presentation

Digital Delivery Solutions Assistant Commissioner Elissa Walker took the group through the Online services for business project overview presentation, highlighting the benefits of the new service, which will replace the Business Portal. Key points included:

• Public beta is open, and the service is expected to go-live in April 2021.
• Online services for business makes it easier to interact with the ATO online. It provides a secure, modern channel for government entities to manage their tax and super obligations, and can be accessed on multiple devices, including a smart device like your mobile phone or tablet.
• In addition to providing the services already available in the Business Portal, you also have access to new services, which gives you the ability to
  • create payment plans
  • switch between ABNs with a single login
  • customise your homepage
  • access new secure mail subjects.
   
• To access the new service and transition now visit ato.gov.au/OSB

Insights from the GEWG interviews

Co-chairs Jennifer Moltisanti and Nella Di Benedetto took the group through the GEWG Qualitative research findings presentation explaining the insights gained from the interviews conducted with each member of the group. Key points included:

• The research aimed to understand the current needs and experiences of government entities.
• The interviews identified common themes and categories of insights, which will inform business improvements and priorities.
• The themes and categories identified were broken into four clusters
  • Pathway – ATO Website, Legal Database, early engagement
  • Concierge Service – Call centre, CRM role, direct personal contact
  • Communication – newsletters, social media
  • Engagement – forums, working groups, conferences.
   
• Members will be invited to participate in a four-step process to design and implement improvements covering each cluster.

Future collaborative design sessions

Co-chairs Jennifer Moltisanti and Nella Di Benedetto outlined an approach for establishing collaborative design sessions, so that group members can participate in designing improvements to the areas identified in the GEWG qualitative research. Key points discussed included:

• The creation of four sub working groups that comprise a representative from each level of government.
• Each sub working group will focus on one of the four clusters identified as part of the research.
• Members will be invited to nominate which cluster they would prefer to work on.