We engage and collaborate with a broad range of external partners to effectively manage and shape the tax and superannuation systems. Our relationships help us respond to changes in our operating environment, while building our understanding of the impact of our regulatory activities.
Increasingly, digital engagement plays a central role in building on our existing relationships with our partners and intermediaries.
We lead and participate in multiple forums across government to ensure our administration is fair, efficient and transparent, and we rely on our international partnerships to respond to cross-border tax avoidance and evasion. Working with scrutineers serves to improve our administration and our relationships with industry and the public are paramount to achieving our purpose.
We are committed to working with stakeholders to deliver on our purpose and vision.
Government
As a Treasury portfolio agency, we support our ministers to help them deliver for the Australian community. To do this we work across various government agencies to help ensure we fairly, efficiently and transparently administer the tax and superannuation systems, including relevant policies and legislation.
To progress whole-of-government and system-wide improvements with a focus on building a more agile and effective public service, we both chair and participate in a variety of committees and forums, including the:
- Secretaries’ Digital and Data Committee
- APS Secretaries Board Capability and Workforce Committee
- APS Chief Operating Officers Committee
- Serious Financial Crime Taskforce
- Operation Protego Integrity Taskforce
- National Coordination Mechanism
- Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission Board
- Fraud Fusion Taskforce.
We maintain a close relationship with the Treasury, including advising on the implications of policy initiatives and changes that would improve the administration of laws or minimise compliance costs for the Australian community.
We exchange data with other agencies in accordance with our legal obligations and data ethics principles and work with state and territory revenue offices to collect and administer particular taxes on their behalf.
Community
Our relationships with taxpayers and the public we serve are paramount to achieving our purpose and vision.
Our Charter outlines the commitments we make to everyone we work with, our expectations of them, their rights and steps they can take if they are not satisfied. We work with representatives across the community, business, tax, superannuation, insolvency and financial sectors to harness their specialist knowledge and experience through our stewardship, partner relationships and special purpose working groups. We also use social media interactions, surveys and other research to better understand perceptions about the way the Australian tax system along with aspects of the superannuation system are administered by us.
Industry
We value our partnership with the tax profession and the key role it has in supporting the integrity and continuous improvement of the tax and superannuation systems. We partner with tax professionals to support taxpayers to meet their obligations.
We actively engage with professionals across the superannuation system to support our roles in that system, including in relation to self-managed superannuation funds and reporting obligations of large funds.
We continue to strengthen our partnership with digital service providers to enhance the delivery of seamless and secure digital solutions for the community. We recognise the critical role digital service providers play in an increasingly integrated digital economy, and we remain committed to early engagement, transparency and collaborative design on new services and experiences. This partnership approach helps ensure the effective administration of the tax and superannuation systems and enables streamlined, trusted digital interactions for taxpayers and businesses.
We engage with third-party data providers, including banks, employers, online platforms and share registries, to collect information to support registration and reporting, identify fraud and recover debt.
Scrutineers
External scrutineers provide independent reviews, investigations and audits of our operations – either as the result of their own annual program of work, or in response to concerns raised by members of the public or the Australian Parliament.
These reviews, investigations and audits help us identify opportunities for improving the delivery of regulatory services to the community, address potential barriers to willing participation, and strengthen the administration of the tax and superannuation systems.
We work with key oversight bodies to ensure transparency, accountability and public confidence in our administration, including:
- engaging with the Tax Ombudsman regarding reviews and complaints
- participating in audits by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) to improve performance and financial accountability
- engaging with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner on Freedom of Information (FOI) matters, privacy, data protection, FOI compliance and participating in assessments
- engaging with the Commonwealth Ombudsman on complaints and Public Interest Disclosures
- reporting and cooperating with the National Anti-Corruption Commission on suspected corrupt conduct
- appearing before parliamentary committees, including the Senate Economics Legislation Committee.
Our engagement provides assurance to government and the Australian community that we operate lawfully, fairly and in the public interest.
International partnerships
We contribute to an international tax system that supports economic growth and a resilient global economy through the provisions of our tax treaties with other countries. We work with treaty partners to eliminate opportunities for cross-border tax avoidance and evasion and to prevent double taxation.
We participate in a range of international forums and committees to collaborate, share intelligence and strengthen tax administration capabilities. These include the:
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Forum on Tax Administration (FTA), and as vice–chair and member of the FTA Bureau
- Joint International Taskforce on Shared Intelligence and Collaboration
- Forum on Tax Administration Large Business International Program
- Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement (J5)
- International Debt Management Committee
- United Nations Committee of Tax Specialists
- Study Group on Asia Pacific Tax Administration and Research
- Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrators.
Capacity building
We share our expertise and best practice to improve fairness, efficiency, effectiveness and digitalisation of tax administration globally.
We work with governments and international organisations to assist with building the capacity of other revenue administrations, so they can:
- meet their obligations under international tax frameworks
- increase their domestic resource mobilisation
- promote stronger economic governance.
We work with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to support our programs, including in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and Palau, and through regional initiatives such as the Mekong-Australia Partnership.