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Draft ATO Vulnerability Framework - Easy Read

This information about how we help people experiencing vulnerability is written in a way that is easy to read.

Published 12 June 2025

How to use this document 

A navy circle with the acronym ATO (Australian Taxation Office) with a green tick

The Australian Taxation Office wrote this document. We say ATO for short. 

 

The words we, ours and us feed into a navy circle with the acronym ATO (Australian Taxation Office) on it.

When you see the word ‘we’ it means the ATO. 

An easy read page and a picture of a taxpayer.

We wrote this document in an easy to read way. 

We use pictures to explain some ideas. 

The words 'bold text' in bold font weight and 'regular text' in regular font weight.

We wrote some words in bold. 

This means the letters are thicker and darker. 

We explain what these words mean. 

There is a list of these words and what they mean in the Word list.

 

Multiple pages of information are condensed into a short form easy to read document.

This is an Easy Read summary of another document.  

You can find the other document on our website at www.ato.gov.au/VulnerabilityConsultation 

 

A support person showing they are trusted support with a green tick.

You can ask someone you trust for help to read this document. 

A friend, family member or support person may be able to help you. 

 

The Australian Tax Office's indigenous artwork.

We recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Owners of the land we live on. 

 

The map of Australia in the ocean.

Traditional Owners were the first people to live on and use the 

  • Land 
  • Waters. 

 

What is this document about? 

A circle with the acronym 'ATO' connects to a second circle with the word 'Tax' on it.

The ATO collects money called tax. 

A circle with the acronym 'ATO' connects to an individual taxpayer and a small business.

It is our job to collect tax from 

  • people who are paid money 
  • a business that is paid money.  

an individual taxpayer and a small business both connect to a circle with the word 'tax' on it

These people must do and pay their tax. 

A tax return.

Doing your tax means you tell us how much money you are paid. 

A circle with the acronym 'ATO' connects to a second circle with the word 'Tax' on it with a green tick.

This helps us make sure we collect the right amount of tax. 

The Australian Government crest.

We collect tax for the government. 

The government uses tax to pay for things everyone can use.

Things like

A medical cross.
  • doctors and hospitals 

A graduate mortarboard cap sits atop a stack of books.

  • schools 

A bus
  • roads, trains and buses. 

A group of vulnerable individuals sit within a diagram with nodes that reach outwards in all directions.

This document is a summary of our vulnerability framework. 

An information symbol representing guidance and sits within a diagram with nodes that reach outwards in all directions.

A framework is a guide.  

It tells us what to do. 

Two hands reach upwards supporting a group of vulnerable individuals.

Vulnerability means you may be at risk of harm or being left out.  

We call this experiencing vulnerability. 

 

A taxpayer with a thought bubble and question mark thinking about vulnerable individuals

There are lots of reasons people can be experiencing vulnerability. 

Reasons like  

 

A young male with a walking brace smiles and holds a cup of coffee.
  • they have health problems 

A male sits in a wheelchair with a stack of books smiling.
  • they have a disability 

An older female smiling. standing next to a younger female.
  • their age  

A young female holds a phone with a translation service symbol on it.
  • English is not easy 

A home.

  • where they live 

A danger symbol.
  • they are not in a safe place. 

A taxpayer smiling.

Having one of these reasons does not always mean a person is experiencing vulnerability. 

 

A navy circle with the acronym ATO (Australian Taxation Office) with a green tick

We help to make sure everyone can do their tax. 

We try to  

A circle with the acronym 'ATO' connects to a picture of a smiling taxpayer. Two overlapping speech bubbles from the ATO and the taxpayer meet in the middle with a green tick to demonstrate a positive discussion

  • find the best way to help people  

A circle with the acronym 'ATO' connects to a second circle with the word 'Tax' on it with a green tick.
  • do our job by collecting tax for the government. 

An outstretched hand supports a group of vulnerable people.

People experiencing vulnerability might need more help to do their tax. 

An Easy Read document.

This document tells you our ideas about how we will give more help.  

An outstretched hand supports a group of vulnerable people.

People experiencing vulnerability might need more help to  

A mobile phone and a circle with the acronym 'ATO' in it.
  • contact us 

A circle with the word 'Tax' on it with a green tick.

A tax return with a green tick

A dollar sign with a green tick.
  • pay their tax. 

Our ideas to help 

 A light bulb  

These ideas tell the ATO how to act. 

There are 6 ideas that we use when people need more help with their tax. 

A document with the word 'Principles' on it with a light bulb

We call them principles. 

The 6 principles are 

A balanced scale to show equality and fairness.
  1. Equal and fair 

This means we treat everyone fairly and with respect. 

We will help people in ways that work best for them. 

We will listen and give you more help if you need it. 

 

The icon for accessibility.
  1. Accessible and inclusive 

This means we make sure everyone can find the information they need about tax. 

 

Two hands reach upwards supporting a red heart
  1. Empathy and compassion 

This means we will be kind. 

We will work to understand you. 

We will listen and try our best to help you. 

 

Two hands reach upwards supporting a group of vulnerable individual.

We want to make sure everyone feels 

  • safe 
  • supported 
  • respected. 

 

An Easy Read document with a magnifying glass.
  1. Transparent and accountable 

This means we will be honest. 

We will explain things in an easy way. 

You can tell us if you think we are wrong.  

 

A blue shield with a gold padlock on the front of it.
  1. Private and safe 

This means we will not tell anyone else the things you tell us. 

We will keep things you tell us about yourself safe. 

 

A bar graph with each successive bar growing to demostrate continual improvements
  1. Keep improving 

This means we will keep trying to do better. 

If you tell us something does not work we will try to fix it. 

 

Our plan to help 

  Document with the words 'Our Plan' on it  We have a plan to help people who need more support.

Document with the words 'Our Plan' on it breaks into 4 core focus areas.

Our plan has 4 parts.  

 

4 core focus areas

We call these parts core focus areas.  

Our core focus areas tell you what we will do to help. 

 

Two hands reach upwards supporting a group of vulnerable individuals.

1. Support 

We will  

  • be kind and caring 
  • tell you what help you can get 
  • give you support that helps you with tax 
  • make sure that help is quick and easy to get. 

 

3 connected cogs

2. Services

We will help you use our services. 

Our services are things like  

 

A laptop shows the website ato.gov.au with an information symbol.
  • our website 

A mobile phone shows the ATO app on its screen.
  • our ATO app 

A mobile phone and a circle with the acronym 'ATO' in it
  • our phone helplines. 

a green tick

We will make sure our services are easy to use. 

We will use different ways to explain tax to help you understand. 

A notebook and a pencil

3. Design 

This means we will think about new ways to give more help. 

We will make sure these new ways are 

  • safe to use 
  • easy to use 
  • helpful. 

 

A female ATO staff member wearing a headset.

4. Staff 

Staff means the people who work at the ATO. 

We will  

  • teach our staff the best way to help people experiencing vulnerability with their tax 
  • take care of our staff 
  • help our staff to do their best. 

 

 

Connect and help 

 Two hands shake, one hand belongs to the ATO, the other hand belongs to a taxpayer.

Connect means we want to

  • work with people who need more help
  • learn what they think.

We call this engagement.

An outstretched hand with a green tick to demonstrate accountability.

People need different help at different times. 

We want to connect so we can give the right help. 

 

Two hands shake, one hand belongs to the ATO, the other hand belongs to a taxpayer. Above them, two overlapping speech bubbles from the ATO and the taxpayer meet in the middle with a green tick to demonstrate a positive discussion.

We have a plan to connect with people and help them with their tax. 

We call this our engagement approach. 

A circle with the acronym 'ATO' connects to a picture of a smiling taxpayer. Two overlapping speech bubbles from the ATO and the taxpayer meet in the middle with a green tick to demonstrate a positive discussion.

This means the way we connect with people and think about 

An outstretched hand with a circle with the word 'Tax' with a question mark.
  • what help someone needs with their tax problem 

A circle with the word 'tax' on it with a calender marked with a question mark.
  • when they need help with their tax problem.  

Two hands shake, one hand belongs to the ATO, the other hand belongs to a taxpayer. Above then, two overlapping speech bubbles from the ATO and the taxpayer meet in the middle with a green tick to demonstrate a positive discussion

These are the parts of our engagement approach 

  • get help early 
  • need help now 
  • help to start. 

A taxpayer with a clock

Get help early 

Connect with us early. 

Get help with your tax as soon as possible. 

We may be able to help before there is a tax problem. 

We may be able to stop a tax problem from getting worse. 

 

A concerned looking taxpayer with an alert sign

Need help now 

If you have a tax problem we may be able to help fix it.  

 

 

 

A taxpayer with a mobile phone

Help to start 

You might need help to connect with us.  

We can help you if you have not contacted us in a long time. 

We can help you to get started again with your tax. 

 

 Who we work with 

A group of vulnerable individuals sit within a diagram with nodes that reach outwards in all directions

We made this framework with help from  

  • our partners  
  • industry experts 
  • advocates. 

A female 'Tax help' volunteer, a professional male, wearing glasses and a tie and a female university graduate, wearing a graduation cap.

Our partners are people who help others with their tax. 

A seal of approval ribbon with a positive tick on the front of it

Industry experts are people who know a lot about tax. 

A seal of approval ribbon with an image of vulnerable indivduals on it

They also know about vulnerability. 

They tell us what extra help people experiencing vulnerability might need. 

A hand holds a megaphone to speak on behalf of others

An advocate is someone who helps people who are experiencing vulnerability. 

Advocates speak up for people and make sure they get the help they need. 

A speech bubble containing an image of vulnerable taxpayers

We will keep working with them to make sure we can always support people experiencing vulnerability with their tax. 

 

a tax return with a green tick

We know that people experiencing vulnerability may get help from partners and advocates to do their tax. 

 

Tell us what you think 

A taxpayer smiling

We want to know what you think about how we plan to give more help to people experiencing vulnerability. 

Tell us what you think in an email. 

A laptop shows the website ato.gov.au with an information symbol

We have questions on our website to help www.ato.gov.au/VulnerabilityConsultation

A series of online fields including one that has been completed with a green tick, one that has been left empty with a red cross and a third box with a light bulb that has feedback left by a taxpayer

You can  

  • answer all of our questions 
  • answer some of our questions 
  • share other ideas that you think might help us. 

an envelope with an @ (at) symbol above it

Send your email to VulnerabilityConsultation@ato.gov.au

a calendar page with the date Friday, 18 July 2025 written on it

Tell us what you think by Friday 18 July 2025. 

 

 

Contact us 

a laptop shows the website ato.gov.au with an information symbol

You can contact us by email VulnerabilityConsultation@ato.gov.au

a mobile phone and a circle with the acronym 'ATO' in it

If you need help to do your tax you can call us on 13 28 61. 

Find out more on our website www.ato.gov.au/contact

a mobile phone and the ATO Indigenous artwork with a circle with the acronym 'ATO' in it

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can call our Indigenous Helpline on 13 10 30. 

the interpreter symbol

If you speak a language other than English, contact the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) on their website www.tisnational.gov.auExternal Link or call 13 14 50.  

Tell them 

  • the language you want to speak in  
  • ask them to call the ATO on 13 28 61. 

the National Relay Service logo

If you are deaf or find it hard to hear or speak with people who use a phone, you can use the National Relay ServiceExternal Link (NRS) for TTY users. 

You can 

 

 

 

More help

two hands reach upwards supporting a red heart

If you or someone you know needs help now, or this information worries you or them, free and private mental health support is available.  

Contact 

the Beyond Blue logo

the Lifeline logo

the 1800 Respect logo

A laptop shows the website ato.gov.au with an information symbol

Other organisations can give you help with health and wellbeing. You can find them on our website www.ato.gov.au/support

 

Word list 

The icon for accessibility

Accessible 

This means we make sure everyone can find the information they need about tax. 

An outstretched hand with a green tick to demonstrate accountability

Accountable 

This means you can tell us if you think we are wrong. 

A hand holds a megaphone to speak on behalf of others

Advocates 

An advocate is someone who helps people who need support. 

Advocates speak up for people and make sure they get the help they need. 

An outstretched hand supports a red heart

Compassion 

This means we will be kind. 

We will work to understand you. 

We will listen and try our best to help you. 

Two hands reach upwards supporting a red heart

Empathy 

This means we will work to understand you. 

Two hands shake, one hand belongs to the ATO, the other hand belongs to a taxpayer

Engagement 

This means we connect and work with people who need more help. 

Two hands shake, one hand belongs to the ATO, the other hand belongs to a taxpayer. Above them, two overlapping speech bubbles from the ATO and the taxpayer meet in the middle with a green tick to demonstrate a positive discussion

Engagement approach 

This means the way we connect with people and think about 

  • what help someone needs with their tax problem 
  • when they need help with their tax problem. 

A group of vulnerable individuals sit within a diagram with nodes that reach outwards in all directions

Framework 

A framework is a guide. 

It tells us what to do. 

vulnerable taxpayers surrounded by ongoing support

Inclusive 

This means we make sure everyone can find the information they need about tax. 

A seal of approval ribbon with a positive tick on the front of it

Industry experts 

Are people who know a lot about tax. 

They also know about vulnerability. 

They tell us what more help people might need. 

A female 'Tax help' volunteer, a professional male, wearing glasses and a tie and a female university graduate, wearing a graduation cap.

Our partners  

Are people who help others with their tax. 

a document with the word 'Principles' on it with a light bulb

Principles 

These are important ideas that tell us how to act. 

a blue shield with a gold padlock on the front of it

Private 

This means we will not tell anyone else the things you tell us. 

an ATO staff member wearing a headset

Staff 

Staff means the people who work at the ATO. 

the ATO Indigenous artwork

Traditional owners 

Traditional Owners were the first people to live on and use the 

  • Land 
  • Waters. 

an Easy Read document with a magnifying glass

Transparent 

This means we will be honest. 

We will explain things in an easy way. 

two hands reach upwards supporting a group of vulnerable individuals

Vulnerability 

This means you may be at risk of harm or being left out. 

 

QC105043