In the period preceding an election for the House of Representatives, the Australian Government assumes a caretaker role and the Australian Public Service (APS) follows what are known as the Caretaker Conventions. 

Throughout the caretaker period, the SBR blog will remain open for your use.

An important part of the conventions is that Australian Government resources, including online resources such as this blog, are not used to communicate political material.  Accordingly, during the caretaker period, we will be taking extra care to ensure that any comments posted to this site complies with the SBR blog’s conditions of use, particularly the requirement that there be no political comments (e.g. reference to candidates, fundraisers, support for political parties).

Comments on posts to this blog that are made by a Minister are now closed.  This measure is not designed to prevent the public from becoming involved in the election process, but instead aim to preserve the apolitical nature of the APS.  

Throughout the caretaker period, please continue to share with the program and other readers of this blog your experiences implementing SBR so we can all continue to learn more about SBR together. 

While the initial focus of SBR is to reduce the burden faced by businesses reporting regulatory financial/payroll information to the ATO, ASIC, APRA and the state revenue offices — SBR functionality (due for release in July 2010) is able to be extended to reduce the burden for businesses reporting to other government agencies.
When I mentioned this during a recent presentation to senior executives, they were particularly interested in the fact that (from a technical perspective) the SBR solution provides Australia with the following offerings and related capabilities, each which can be re-used for other reporting requirements.

1. SBR taxonomy and taxonomy development/harmonisation expertise — initially, the SBR taxonomy is a collection of reportable terms that are associated with accounting and related concepts.
   The flexibility of the SBR taxonomy’s modular design approach and built-in development capability enables it to readily incorporate terms used by other sector — and the skills and expertise Australia developed while reducing (by more than 70%) the number of unique in-scope terms may be re-used to satisfy further government reporting.
2. SBR authentication solution — a single secure sign-on that enables business to use one credential – the AUSkey – for interacting on-line with government rather than maintaining separate credentials (e.g. user ids, PIN/passwords, digital certificates) for interaction with each agency.
   While developed as part of the SBR initiative, the balance between usability and security was a key design principal that has already proven to be readily portable to other online government services.
3. SBR core services — the SBR program’s electronic gateway between business software and participating agencies, which was designed to maximise performance of all interactions (e.g. submitting a report) and preserve existing business-to-agency relationships.While initially used for financial/payroll reporting purposes, SBR core services are readily scalable – meaning the SBR solution has the capability to support many more users (agencies, businesses and their intermediaries) and applications and the required skills and experience now exist.
4. SBR web services — the way business software and agency software interact with each other.SBR web services were designed in a generic, re-usable way that addresses current-scope and potential future SBR requirements. Using just four web service message types – List, Prefill, PreLodge and Lodge – a business can satisfy any obligation that they have to report to government. Currently this includes State and Territory payroll tax returns, ASIC financial statements, and some key ATO forms including the activity statement (BAS), fringe benefits tax returns, PAYG, and tax file number declarations – with more to come.

The Australian Government has recently agreed to consider further extensions of SBR functionality and has tasked the SBR Program Board, through consultation, with identifying other areas of business to government reporting that would benefit from SBR. So if you have any comments about the SBR architecture and/or views regarding which sectors SBR functionality should be extended to — now’s a great time to join the conversation by posting your comments to this SBR blog.

Helen Austin
SBR Chief Architect

Standard Business Reporting (SBR) is now open for business, offering Australian businesses, accountants, bookkeepers, tax agents and payroll professionals a quicker and simpler way to complete and lodge reports for government.

In coming months, businesses, accountants, bookkeepers, BAS agents, tax agents and payroll professionals will have access to a quicker and simpler way to complete and lodge reports, through their financial accounting and payroll software, with various government agencies.

With SBR-enabled software, businesses will spend less time and effort gathering, analysing and re-keying information.

SBR has worked in partnership with 12 government agencies, software developers, the business community and reporting professionals to deliver SBR on time and within budget. 

I thank all the staff for their hard work and dedication to delivering on a program which will provide significant future benefits to Australian businesses.  I also thank software developers, businesses and reporting professionals who have contributed their time and creativity to the design, development and delivery of SBR and look forward to your ongoing support.

To find out more try our new online demonstration on our website on www.sbr.gov.au or join the blog.

Paul Madden
SBR Program Director

In just over five weeks, more than 50,000 AUSkeys have been issued to more than 36,000 businesses to access a range of online government services.

From next month, businesses using SBR-enabled software will be able to report directly from their software to participating government agencies using AUSkey to login.

AUSkey is intended to be the single key for businesses to report directly to government.  What this will eventually mean for business is no more juggling multiple user IDs and passwords when reporting to SBR agencies like the state revenue offices, Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the Australian Taxation Office.

AUSkey can already be used to access the Tax Office portals, Australian Business Register and other secure on-line services.

Other benefits include simple registration, an online management facility, and automatic renewal -  so long as you use your AUSkey once every 12 months, it will not expire.

You can install your AUSkey on your computer, a USB stick, your organisation’s server or combination of all of these options.

In order to use SBR-enabled software, which will become progressively available from July 2010, businesses and financial reporting professionals will need to register for an AUSkey by following the instructions found on the Australian Business Register website.

Bettina Konti

SBR Team Leader, Authentication

Recently SBR program executives attended the quarterly meeting of the SBR Business Advisory Forum (BAF), which helps SBR stay in touch with the needs of Australian businesses and their reporting professionals.
 
High on the agenda for this meeting was the delivery of the government’s SBR solution on 1 July. It’s been a long and fruitful journey for SBR, bolstered by the ongoing support and involvement of software developers and almost 20 key business associations including the Australian Industry Group, Council of Small Business of Australia, Institute of Certified Bookkeepers, National Institute of Accountants, CPA Australia, Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Business Council of Australia, Group of 100, The Association for Payroll Specialists and Law Council of Australia.
 
BAF members expressed a keen interest in retaining their advisory role in the project post 1 July, and agreed to consider an updated Charter to reflect their stakeholder role in the future take-up of SBR and its possible expansion across government.
 
BAF members have played an active role in keeping their members up to date on SBR and will continue to do so as software developers integrate SBR into their products.
 
BAF reconvenes in September, by which time we aim to showcase real case studies of Australian businesses using SBR and reducing their reporting burden.
 
Watch this space for more updates on SBR as we approach rollout.
 
Std biz reporter

Last Thursday I presented a training session to the National Institute of Accountants (NIA) via a live web conference or webinar. I was particularly impressed with the way in which this technology could be easily implemented to enable conferencing with a number of people, large or small.

I spoke with approximately 50 practicing accountants, who had joined me to learn more about what Standard Business Reporting (SBR) would mean for their practices.

During the webinar, I gave participants a brief tour of the SBR website, including going through the key fact sheets, SBR online learning modules, the mock-up of the lodgement of a Business activity statement and an overview of the video content available on our website.

Overall the feedback I received was positive, with a number of NIA members expressing a particular interest in the operation of the online security credential AUSkey and the benefits of SBR.

We’re currently seeking expressions of interest from groups that are interested in finding out more about SBR. If you’re interested in organising a webinar for your organisation, practice or association you can get in touch with us through the contact us page on our website.

Greg Divall

SBR Program Manager

SBR is now in use by businesses and intermediaries involved in a pre-release pilot of SBR involving three agencies and three forms:
- ASIC 388 coversheet – Financial statements and report (now);
- Queensland payroll tax periodic return (now); and
- Tax file number declaration (mid June).

Those involved in the pilot are encouraged to share their SBR experiences with other readers of this blog.

SBR will be available for use by all businesses and their intermediaries from 1 July 2010.

Paul Madden
SBR Program Director

Since its launch on 17 May, more than 21,000 Australian businesses have unlocked the benefits of AUSkey and will soon be able to use it to report to government using SBR-enabled software.

Using an AUSkey will remove the need to juggle multiple user ID’s and passwords when reporting through SBR-enabled software to the Tax Office, ASIC and the state revenue offices. You’ll be able to use your AUSkey immediately to access the Tax Office portals, ABR and other secure on-line services. Over time, the one AUSkey will allow on-line access to all participating SBR agencies.

AUSkey offers fast and easy registration and, in most cases, you will be ready to use your AUSkey almost immediately. You can install your AUSkey on your computer, a USB stick, your organisation’s server or combination of all of these options.

AUSkey is also easy to manage and features automatic renewal and, so long as you use your AUSkey once every 12 months, it will not expire.

In order to use SBR-enabled software which will become progressively available from July 2010, businesses and financial reporting professionals will need to register for an AUSkey by following the instructions found on the Australian Business Register website.

Thanks to Edmund So for sharing his approach with AUSkey to date on this blog. This is reflective of other feedback on AUSkey from other channels.  I encourage you to share your views and experiences about SBR, including AUSKey, with other readers of this blog. It is as simple as registering as a user of the SBR blog and leaving your comments.

Today SBR reached two major milestones with the release of the AUSkey online security credential and the launch today of an SBR-enabled software product.

The release of the long-awaited AUSkey security credential will enable businesses and reporting professionals with an Australian Business Number (ABN), to apply for an AUSkey through the Australian Business Register website (external link).

AUSkey will be the single key for businesses to report using SBR enabled software directly to government from July, as well as access a range of government online services. In the future there may no longer be the need for different user IDs and passwords as AUSkey becomes gradually accepted by more government agencies.

AUSkey has been designed and developed in consultation with businesses, reporting professionals, government agencies and software developers.

Also from today, the Australian Taxation Office accepts AUSkey for login to their Portals, the Electronic Commerce Interface (ECI) and the Australian Business Register.

Any questions about how AUSkey works or how it will enable access to a range of online government services ask them here, on the SBR blog.

To Julie’s question, at a minimum SBR will save public practices time and cost. The level of savings depends on just how much of the SBR capability they choose to use and take advantage of.

Public practices could just wait for and use the SBR services supplied in the software they currently use to have access to pre-fill and auto fill of forms and lodgement via the SBR channel.  In this minimalist approach, there will be some assurance work, as well as the need to register for an AUSkey, which is needed to report via SBR.

However, for public practices to really take advantage of potential benefits, they should consider how the mapping of the SBR reporting definitions (in the Taxonomy) can also provide access to more useful and real time financial reports for the practice and their clients. 

We have seen examples from others in public practice where the taxonomy has been mapped to the accounting data for a business such that it can automate the creation of the working papers, the profit and loss and the balance sheet, then on to the income tax return and financial statements. Once mapped, these same reports can be used over and over again. 

If you do this for one business, you might see that applying the same pattern, or even moving to a more uniform chart of accounts for several of your clients will allow you to automate the same reports for them.   The concept is “map once – report many”, which involves the mapping, assurance of the mapping, assurance of the outputs, and then continual re-use.  This will take the focus away from checking the transactions, inputs and completeness of records at the end of the year to assurance of the mapping process and optimising the real time financial data available and assurance of the input/transactions. Obviously if all of your clients have unique charts, then you would need to map them individually. 

The SBR Taxonomy not only allows you to report to government, it can be used to create many financial reports that might be useful and very valuable for you and your clients.

Because the SBR Taxonomy is based on local and international standards, and will be compliant with current regulations, you can be assured that comparison of data in reports based on the taxonomy are in fact comparable. Others in public practice have found use and demand for benchmark comparison of businesses performance data to assist in business planning, and also to provide a better level of financial advice to businesses.  If you have a look at the Dutch case studies on the SBR website, you will see examples of how public practices have changed their business processes to focus on real time high value financial performance and advice for their businesses.  There are also some case studies (in video form) about how some large Australian practices are transforming some of their operations on the basis of time saved using the capabilities that are being offered by SBR.

In terms of Julie’s detailed questions, over time the functionality offered by varying levels of software will change and businesses and practitioners will have new choices on how they can use the various components based on whether the software they use has been SBR enabled. The level of work papers and records kept will not change.  However, as discussed above, the processes to create these can be increasingly automated depending on how much of the SBR capabilities used. The accuracy of the information being reported via SBR is still the accountability of the party reporting it.  Mapping of the correct data within the accounting systems is fundamental, however the correct classification and capture of business and accounting transactions is also essential.  The treatment of debtors and creditors will not change under SBR, the implications of these will impact on what is prefilled only if the mapping takes account of them.  In terms of a business reporting incorrect information, this again is the accountability for the reporting party and generally its correctness would be based on the correct mapping as well as the correct input/capture of the business transactions.  If the business is not certain that these are correct, they should seek advice from a reporting professional.

After 1 July, we will start to see many local case studies of businesses and accountants using SBR in varying ways.  In the meantime I suggest public practitioners work through the on-line training modules and have a look at some of the case studies on the SBR website, including those that illustrate how SBR will work for reporting professionals.  Also, have a look at the SBR fact sheet titled “SBR intermediaries benefits”- and consider forwarding to your clients the SBR fact sheet titled “benefits to business”.

Like Julie, I’d like to hear what others are saying about SBR and look forward to reading all comments published on this blog.

Paul Madden

SBR Program Director

From July 2010 software developers will be progressively SBR-enabling their accounting, financial and payroll software, which means that you might soon be able to prepare and lodge your BAS with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) directly from your own software.

Whether you’re preparing your BAS for your own business or on behalf of your clients, SBR-enabled software will save you time by pre-filling some forms with information that government agencies already have.

Preparing reports using SBR-enabled software is as easy as checking the information in the report and updating where required, adding any extra information, and sending reports directly from your accounting system – no longer will you have to re-key or export information into a portal or use separate lodgment software. This information will then be sent to the ATO who will provide a receipt of the transaction.

So, lodging your Activity Statements using SBR-enabled software will save you valuable time and money and it’s as easy as following a few simple steps:

• sign in with your AUSkey
• Choose the BAS for the relevant period that you need to complete;
• Review the pre-filled data and update or provide any further details as required;
• Run a pre-lodgment validation check; and
• Click on the ‘lodge’ button.

It’s that easy.

We’re about to publish a presentation on the SBR website that demonstrates how a business might lodge their Business Activity Statement with the ATO using SBR enabled software; which software developers will be progressively implementing over the following three years.

So, if you have any questions or comments about submitting a BAS using SBR enabled software whether you are a business, reporting professional or a software developer, you can always ask here on the SBR blog. We’re keen to hear your thoughts, suggestions or questions about this important element of the SBR program.

The Standard Business Reporting (SBR) blog provides a forum for businesses, reporting professionals, software developers and other members of the public to discuss SBR online.

The SBR program encourages your participation on this blog and asks that you adhere our terms and conditions when contributing to any posts. To add your comment, click on the ‘comments’ link above.

SBR Program Director Paul Madden video post open for comment

Video Transcript – HTML

The Standard Business Reporting (SBR) blog provides a forum for businesses, reporting professionals, software developers and other members of the public to discuss SBR online.

The SBR program encourages your participation on this blog and asks that you adhere our terms and conditions when contributing to any posts. To add your comment, click on the ‘comments’ link above.

Minister for Finance and Deregulation video post open for comment

Video Transcript – HTML