Overview
Each year, billions of dollars in government payments are paid by Commonwealth agencies to service providers to deliver services to the Australian community under various Commonwealth programs, including:
- disability support
- aged care
- child care.
The cross-agency Government Payments Program (GPP) was established to deliver greater integrity and fairness across these Commonwealth programs.
The GPP complements existing annual payment and grant reporting by Commonwealth agencies through the taxable payments annual report (TPAR).
Accountabilities and responsibilities
The Commonwealth agencies using service providers have accountability for ensuring the proper use of public resources.
At the same time, the service providers receiving payments are responsible for meeting their tax and superannuation obligations.
We know most providers do the right thing, but there are a few who exploit Commonwealth programs by:
- unlawfully claiming payments they aren’t entitled to
- receiving payments while not complying with tax and superannuation obligations.
This is against the law, and unfair to those doing the right thing.
What the GPP does
The GPP aims to ensure that service providers receiving government payments from participating Commonwealth agencies are meeting their tax and superannuation obligations.
It also aims to:
- deliver greater system integrity across a range of Commonwealth programs
- maximise the value of ATO data to Commonwealth agencies using the current data-sharing framework.
How it works
The ATO works collaboratively with GPP-participating agencies to maximise the value of ATO data, using the current data-sharing legislative framework.
Examples include:
- sharing aggregate ATO data with GPP-participating Commonwealth agencies, to provide insights regarding the tax compliance of the service providers in their programs
- sharing specific ATO data (where legislation allows) with Commonwealth agencies, to deliver greater system integrity.
The ATO has published the GPP data-matching program protocol, which outlines how we’ll collect and use data from GPP-participating Commonwealth agencies.
Key objectives of the data-matching program protocol include:
- obtain reliable data about the service providers receiving payments, which can then be analysed to identify and assess risks and trends of non-compliance within the service provider population
- enable the ATO to work with service providers and Commonwealth agencies to obtain a better understanding of the environment and the risks
- identify service providers that may be operating outside of the tax system
- identify and educate service providers that may be failing to meet their registration, lodgment, reporting or payment obligations and assist them to comply
- identify service providers not complying with their tax and superannuation obligations and develop a range of engagement activities to address risks.
GPP-participating agencies
The Commonwealth agencies and programs currently participating in the GPP are:
- Clean Energy Regulator
- Large Scale Renewable Energy Target
- Small Scale Renewable Energy Scheme
- Comcare
- services provided under the Safety Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988
- Department of Education (formally Department of Education, Skills and Employment)
- Child Care Subsidy
- Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (formally Department of Education, Skills and Employment)
- VET FEE-HELP Scheme
- VET Student Loans Program
- Employment Services
- Department of Health and Aged Care (formally Department of Health)
- Aged Care Subsidy
- Hearing Services Program
- Commonwealth Home Support Programme
- Department of Home Affairs
- Youth Transition Support Services
- National Community Hubs
- Humanitarian Settlement Program
- Australian Cultural Orientation Program
- Adult Migrant English Program
- Free Translating Service
- Settlement Engagement and Transition Support Program
- Department of Veterans' Affairs
- Health treatment programs
- National Disability Insurance Agency
- National Disability Insurance Scheme
- National Indigenous Australians Agency
- Indigenous Advancement Strategy.