Australian Business Register year in review

Australian

Business Register

year in review

1 Australian Business Register year in review 2010–11

Contents

Australian Business Register at a glance

2

Our mission 2

Our business intent 2

Our role 3

Our values 3

01

Summary of performance

4

02

Overview

7

Message from the Registrar 8

The year ahead 2011–12 9

03

Report on performance 2010–11

10

Progress major projects and service refinement opportunities 11

Increase agency awareness and engagement 12

Case studies

15

Using the Australian Business Number as a key identifier 15 ABR data tool saving time and money for local councils 16

ABR data helps Sutherland Shire grow 17

Improve our governance and reporting processes 18

Improve the integrity of ABR data 18

2010 ABR Survey 21

Maintain acceptable service standards 22

04

Management and accountability

25

The Registrar 26

ABR Advisory Board 28

05

Using our resources effectively

29

Our resources 30

06

Appendixes

32

ABR partner agencies 33

Australian Business Register

at a glance

Our mission

To assist businesses in their interactions with Australian government. We do this by: n providing a unique business identity number that supports data sharing and

whole‑of‑government online authentication

n making business registration information accessible to government agencies, thereby supporting economic and social development programs that benefit the community n helping businesses to meet their regulatory obligations.

Our business intent

To streamline government and business interactions and provide an accurate and comprehensive record of businesses to meet the needs of the community and government.

We do this by positioning:

n the Australian Business Register (ABR) as the authoritative source of business identity information

n the Australian Business Number (ABN) as a unique identifier

n the AUSkey as an authentication security token that enables businesses to safely access government services online.

3 Australian Business Register year in review 2010–11

To achieve our business intent, we:

n promote the ABR as a whole‑of‑government resource

n develop and maintain the register as the authoritative source of business identity information

n deliver services that position the ABR as a multi‑agency registration authority for a new authentication credential and promote its take up by businesses and their intermediaries n facilitate interactions between government and businesses registered with an ABN n provide ABR information to eligible government agencies

n provide the community with convenient access to publicly available details, such as the ABN and goods and services tax (GST) status of businesses.

In maintaining the register, we: n register ABN applications

n register representatives of ABN registered businesses for an online multi‑agency authentication credential, AUSkey

n ensure that records are current and accurate

n cancel the registrations of entities that are no longer active or entitled to an ABN.

Our values

Our values are:

n being fair and professional n applying the rule of law

n supporting people who want to do the right thing, including being fair but firm with those who don’t

n being consultative, collaborative and willing to co‑design n being open and accountable

Summary of

performance

5 Australian Business Register year in review 2010–11

Su MMAR Y O f pe R fORMANC e

The key objective of the A New Tax System (ABN) Act 1999 and the Australian Business Register (ABR) is to streamline business and government interaction – making it easier for businesses when dealing with government. The Australian Business Number (ABN) and AUSkey are enablers of these interactions.

In 2010–11, we held firm to our vision of providing authoritative information and reducing the cost of compliance. We focused on improvements to the delivery of online services which support business and government interactions and include streamlined registration, authentication and reporting. Input from scrutineers, the ABR Advisory Board and the community assisted us to more rapidly develop policies and set strategic direction to further enhance these whole‑of‑government services.

In continuing our work to assure that the ABR delivers on its intent to make business interaction easier and efficient, this year the ABR has worked to ensure that:

n the ABR is recognised as a national resource that offers data to agencies to enable them to make informed decisions regarding planning and infrastructure investment in order to increase business growth within their region

n we positioned AUSkey as the preferred primary national online authentication solution and are leading the way in online authentication across both business‑to‑government and government‑to‑government reporting and interaction

n we continued to work with the Department of the Treasury to implement the new Standard Business Reporting (SBR) system which relies on the availability of ABR data and online authentication using AUSkey. We continued to position the SBR taxonomy as the common reporting language for business‑to‑government interactions.

Significant achievements this year included:

n establishing partnerships with an additional 89 government agencies and ensuring that they had access to ABR data

n in partnership with our service providers, issuing 534,147 new ABNs and re‑issuing 67,548 ABNs to entities that had recommenced business operations

n identifying ineligible ABN applications and refusing 36,727 ABN registrations

n cancelling 51,103 ABNs where those entities were no longer entitled to be registered n cancelling 141,836 ABNs at the request of ABN holders who had ceased business n assisting 12 state and federal agencies to adopt AUSkey as their online authentication

solution

n continuing work on redeveloping the ABR platform as an enabler for the Council of Australian Governments national business name registration project deliverables in 2011–12.

01

7 Australian Business Register year in review 2010–11

Overview

Message

from the

Registrar

I am pleased to

present the

Australian

Business Register

year in review report

,

covering the financial

year 1 July 2010 to

30 June 2011.

This report outlines how we continue working to make it easier for businesses and all levels of government to interact.

We publish this report as part of our open and accountable governance process. It supports our assurance to partner agencies and other interested parties that we are effective and efficient administrators of the register.

Michael D’Ascenzo

Registrar of the Australian Business Register and Commissioner of Taxation

9 Australian Business Register year in review 2010–11

Ove

R

v

Ie

W

The year ahead 2011–12

During 2010–11, it became obvious that our strong focus on responsiveness and rapid turnaround times for registration needed to be enhanced by improved compliance and associated interpretation activities.

We have noticed a trend in applications for ABNs which suggest that people are applying for an ABN when they are not eligible. This is compounded by an emerging belief in the community that obtaining an ABN is a virtual sign‑off by government that there is a valid business in operation.

In 2011–2012, we will continue our work to ensure that entities issued with an ABN should have been issued with one and remain eligible. We will increase our focus on the accuracy and currency of the register.

In the coming year we will also consider enhancements to the register including the geocoding of ABN records. This will provide very accurate physical location information for a business and will be of great value to those government agencies who are responsible for physically constrained areas.

We will investigate how we could provide further information about entities who have multiple operational sites, which will allow them to better plan for service delivery and infrastructure development. Currently these are only displayed on the register as corporate headquarters. We will continue to work with the Australian Bureau of Statistics to improve this outcome.

To progress the intent of the ABR in 2011–12 we will:

n maintain the ABR as the government’s register of business and regulated entities and the AUSkey as the primary authentication credential and multi‑agency solution for electronic dealings with government

n process and maintain ABN registrations, digital credential registrations and register‑related updates

n provide eligible government agencies with access to details of registered ABN holders and the community with access to public data

n implement a penalty regime which could see individuals fined for making a false or misleading statement when applying for an ABN.

Report on

performance

2010–11

11 Australian Business Register year in review 2010–11

Rep OR T ON pe R fORMANC e 2010–11

Progress major projects and service

refinement opportunities

Our priorities for 2010–11 aim to enhance the way we work across agencies and with business to position the ABR, ABN and AUSkey within government and the community.

ABN business names registration project

We collaborated with the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR), the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and other agencies on the Council of Australian Government (COAG) ABN business names registration project. The ABR will support an ASIC business name registration through the provision of real‑time services. This approach will ultimately enable new entities, who have applied for an ABN or are in the process of applying for an ABN, to apply for a business name online in a single transaction.

As part of the joint project, we continued to redevelop the ABR platform to accommodate this initiative. This new platform will make it easier to offer new services including business name services from the ABR in future.

AUSkey

AUSkey, the new online authentication solution, has achieved rapid and widespread acceptance. During the 12 months since implementation we issued more than 420,000 AUSkeys, which are used by over 260,000 businesses.

We continued our work with government agencies and business to show how AUSkey can be adopted as part of normal business processes and allow secure communication to multiple agencies through the use of a single identifier. As at 30 June 2011, there were 12 government agencies who had adopted AUSkey as the authentication solution to interact with businesses online.

03

Increase agency awareness and engagement

We continued to progress the ABR as a whole‑of‑government resource and community asset. This work involved engagement with government and business to promote the value and benefits of business and government registration services, authentication and reporting capabilities.

We conducted user research with partner agencies in Queensland, victoria and New South Wales to learn more about their systems, business processes and interactions with business. The user research report identified a range of issues and new ideas for consideration. These included the provision of additional data items, improvements or additions to ABR services and areas of concern regarding data quality.

Our commitment to increase awareness of the ABR saw take‑up of ABR data and services continue with 89 new partnership agreements in 2010–11. This growth has brought the total number of partnerships to 272 – a 42.4% increase from the previous year. Local councils accounted for the majority of new partnerships, with a total of 157 council partners as at 30 June 2011.

During the year we:

n contacted 415 agencies to explain how ABR data and services can assist them achieve their business objectives

n engaged with existing agency users of the ABR data, holding two consultative forums that were attended by 63 government agency representatives

n issued quarterly ABR Update newsletters.

This year ABR data was used to support new social policy initiatives such as the Paid Parental Leave scheme administered by Centrelink. Centrelink has also adopted AUSkey as the authentication mechanism for online applications, allowing employers to pre‑fill application forms with their details.

We continued to develop and refine the ABR data query tool, a free software product that enables agencies to run searches and analyse data without the expense of developing their own systems or software. We conducted training sessions with 15 local council partners, helping them to understand how the tool can be used to analyse and extract data relevant to their local government area. As at 30 June 2011, there were 82 data query tool users. This demonstrates a growing interest in the use of our data and electronic delivery channels.

We released ABR Report Mart – a new service allowing partner agencies to access useful reports and measure business trends. Growth in use of ABR data and services was demonstrated through an increase in the number of data extracts we issued. We issued 800 bulk data extracts to agencies, a 59.0% increase from the previous year. Monthly searches of ABN Lookup during the year peaked at 21.5 million. On average, there were 15 million searches a month to verify details of businesses, up 55% on 2009–10.

13 Australian Business Register year in review 2010–11

Rep OR T ON pe R fORMANC e 2010–11

Data extracts issued

We adopted the bulk data exchange (BDe) as one of our online data delivery channels. BDe provides faster and easier access to bulk ABR data over the internet through a secure network. Data files are transferred electronically to a designated mailbox. We assisted 196 agencies to access public data from ABN Lookup, compared to 140 agencies in 2009–10.

TABLE 1: Data extracts issued

2008–09 2009–10 2010–11

Number of data extracts issued 230 503 800

TABLE 2: Service take-up by ABR partner agencies*

Agency users 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11

Bulk data extracts (data disc) 121 174 226

Bulk data extracts (bulk data exchange) 0 0 120

Online subscription to an ABN (agency services) 4 5 6

ABN Lookup (public data) 77 140 196

03

ABR partner agency satisfaction

In 2010–11, we improved the way we measured agency satisfaction. We now focus on three key service elements – data quality, data delivery and client support. These three elements allow us to better understand which aspects of our service require greater attention.

TABLE 3: Partner agency satisfaction rating

Percentage of partner agencies satisfied or very satisfied with our service 2010–11

Data quality 95.3%

Data delivery service 94.4%

15 Australian Business Register year in review 2010–11

C A S e S TU D Ie S

Case studies

The following case studies provide examples of how business and government agencies have benefited from accessing ABR data.

Using the Australian Business Number as a key identifier

Using the Australian Business Number (ABN) as the key business identifier has streamlined the way Centrelink’s customers report income through their automated self help income‑reporting service.

Centrelink Director, Connectivity, Infrastructure Services Branch Tim Willson said their Interactive voice Response (IvR) service allows customers to report their employment income.

‘Access to ABR data contributes to maximising our automation rates and improving the integrity of our data,’ Tim said.

The Centrelink IvR asks the customer a series of questions about their employment income including the name of their employer.

If the employer is not listed against the customer’s record:

n the IvR asks the caller to provide the ABN of the new employer by verbally quoting the ABN or keying in the number using the telephone keypad

n the Centrelink system first checks whether the ABN is valid, then uses the ABN Lookup service to retrieve details of that ABN in real time

n the IvR confirms with the caller that the correct employer has been matched n if correct, the employer is added to the customer’s record for the next fortnight.

Customers are provided with a receipt number, information about their payment and their next date to report.

‘The IvR service automates the reports of more than 100,000 callers per fortnight which makes it the most used of all Centrelink’s self‑help services,’ Tim said.

‘Among all the infrastructure and communications elements that make up this complex reporting service, the consistent performance of the link to the ABR more than meets our needs for availability and reliability.’

Using the ABN as a unique identifier, and the ABN Lookup system to confirm data in real time, enables Centrelink customers to save time when reporting employment income.

03

S

ABR data tool saving time and money for local councils

money and build a clearer picture of business in their region.

Joseph Tobacco, senior economic development officer for Manningham City Council, said that before introduction of the query tool they knew the basic makeup of their region but were never able to use ABR data to its full potential.

‘Because we lacked the IT infrastructure to manipulate the dataset, we had to rely on private consultants to conduct business profiling activity,’ Joseph said.

‘However, with the help of the tool, we have progressed from using an excel spreadsheet and are in good stead for future economic profiling activity.’

The council has also been able to incorporate the data from the ABR query tool into their geographic information system enabling them to visualise and analyse the information spatially.

‘Looking at the region geospatially allows us to more accurately identify where businesses are located, helping with infrastructure planning and compliance in our region,’ Joseph said.

The free to use ABR query tool, allows Manningham City Council to extract the information they need to provide local businesses with the necessary infrastructure services.

17 Australian Business Register year in review 2010–11

CA S e S TU D Ie S

ABR data helps Sutherland Shire grow

ABR data is helping to stimulate economic growth and create jobs in Sutherland Shire, New South Wales.

For three years, the council has been using email addresses contained in their ABR data extracts to survey home‑based businesses about their needs and how the council could assist them.

email provides the council with a low cost option for dealing with clients and allows recipients to respond easily and quickly.

Sutherland Shire Council economic development manager Anne Flisher said their survey aimed to ensure that local businesses were getting the help they need to grow and succeed.

‘There are about 52,000 businesses in our local area and about 43,000 of these are home‑based businesses,’ Anne said.

‘Through our survey business owners can choose the support and services they need to help take their business to the next level.’

Support available to local businesses include workshops, seminars and coaching sessions. As at December 2010, 77 businesses have participated in the council’s business program and more than 400 jobs have been created.

‘ABR data is essential to our operations as no other business database provides email addresses’ she said.

Using business email address data available from the register, provides an efficient and effective way for Sutherland Shire Council to understand and support their client’s needs.

03

Improve our governance and reporting processes

In July 2010 a division was created within the ATO to work specifically on whole‑of‑government initiatives. This sharpens the focus and permits the key whole‑of‑government assets of ABR, AUSkey and SBR to be housed within a single business area.

We continued to provide transparency to our partners, government and the community by:

n conducting biannual interagency ABR Advisory Board meetings

n releasing the Australian Business Register Year in Review report, providing stakeholders with detailed information about our performance as administrators of the register n enhancing our reporting and governance processes, particularly as they relate to the

delivery of our new services and the integrity and effectiveness of our data.

Improve the integrity of ABR data

To deliver the benefits derived from accessing ABR data and to ensure we provide a trusted source of business identity information, we worked to improve the integrity of data held in the register by:

n working with government agencies to curb the possible misuse of ABNs

n collaborating on audit activities and cancelling the ABNs of payees who were engaged in inappropriate contracting arrangements.

19 Australian Business Register year in review 2010–11

Rep OR T ON pe R fORMANC e 2010–11

Active ABNs

There were 7,004,042 active ABNs in the ABR as at 30 June, 2011. This is a 6.2% increase compared to the previous year and consistent with growth experienced in 2009–10.

TABLE 4: Active ABNs

Entity type 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 Companies 1,477,335 1,536,022 1,569,735 Government 13,210 13,108 12,965 Individuals 2,714,781 3,037,120 3,320,837 partnerships 699,438 719,573 734,709 Super funds 422,725 450,221 471,922 Trusts 773,331 837,308 893,874 Total 6,100,820 6,593,352 7,004,042

We continued our focus on ensuring only those entities entitled to an ABN are registered. This resulted in our refusing 36,727 ABN registrations. Intelligence from the integrated ABN entitlement tool was used to support ATO compliance initiatives by providing input and referrals about risk behaviours in specific industries. It continues to reduce the number of ineligible registrants.

03

Client-initiated ABN cancellations

We cancelled 141,836 ABNs at the request of the ABN holders who had ceased operating an enterprise. This is a 16.4% increase compared to the number of ABNs cancellations initiated by clients in the previous year.

TABLE 5: Client-initiated ABN cancellations

Entity type 2009–10 2010–11 Companies 29,775 31,128 Government 197 210 Individuals 55,655 67,364 partnerships 22,913 23,895 Super funds 3,990 8,341 Trusts 9,266 10,898 Total 121,796 141,836

Registrar initiated ABN cancellations

We also continued to identify entities that have registered for an ABN but are no longer entitled to be registered, including deregistered companies, deceased clients, wound‑up super funds and clients not reporting business income. The Registrar cancelled 51,103 ABNs as these entities were no longer or never had been eligible for an ABN. This reduces the potential for misrepresentation and misquotation of ABNs in the community. TABLE 6: Registrar initiated ABN cancellations

Entity type 2009–10 2010–11 Companies 19,780 43,991 Government 0 0 Individuals 6,247 3,640 partnerships 29 14 Super funds 105 3,245 Trusts 44 213 Total 26,205 51,103

The ABR has been able to leverage off compliance work conducted by the ATO. During 2009–10, 5,453 cases were referred to us. From those referrals, we cancelled 4,216 ABNs on the basis of the evidence provided with the referral and requested 1,193 ABN holders to provide further evidence of their entitlement.

21 Australian Business Register year in review 2010–11

Repo R t on pe R fo R mance 2010–11

2010 ABR Survey

the aBR Survey validates information that appears on the aBR by measuring the level of currency and accuracy of key data fields, including ABN status, main name, postal address, business address, email address, anZSIc code, and telephone contact details. In 2010, we selected a group of 1,800 aBn holders to measure the currency and accuracy of these data fields for the six core entity types (individual, partnership, trust, superannuation, company and government entities).

the survey was the first phone survey and the first time we measured the accuracy of contact telephone numbers and ABN entitlement.

Some key findings included:

n more then 75% of all entities surveyed are entitled to an aBn

n of the remaining 25% of all entities surveyed, individuals (sole traders) represent almost 82%, and partnerships almost 12% of all ineligible registrants on the ABR

n 94% of companies, superannuation funds and trust entities surveyed are entitled to an ABN

n more than 82% of postal addresses are accurate n more than 58% of telephone numbers are accurate n almost 83% of anZSIc codes are accurate

n more then 88% of main/legal entity names are accurate.

03

Maintain acceptable service standards

Our processing functionality is managed by specialist ATO operational areas. On our behalf, they processed and maintained ABNs. They also processed and maintained digital certificate and AUSkey registrations which enable businesses to interact online with the ABR, the ATO and other agencies.

ABN Registrations

There were 534,147 new ABNs issued in 2010–11, representing a 4.9% decrease compared to 2009–10.

TABLE 7: ABN Registrations

Entity type 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 Companies 96,024 105,851 106,696 Government 113 95 77 Individuals 320,333 311,648 291,333 partnerships 39,400 40,740 36,354 Super funds 32,924 31,440 33,099 Trusts 62,877 72,107 66,588 Total 551,671 561,881 534,147 Reissued ABNs

There were 67,548 ABNs re‑issued in 2010–11 as these businesses had recommenced operations. This is an 11.1% decrease compared to the previous year.

TABLE 8: Reissued ABNs

Entity type 2009–10 2010–11 Companies 1,787 2,018 Government 2 3 Individuals 71,183 62,805 partnerships 2,075 1,861 Super funds 56 110 Trusts 855 751 Total 75,958 67,548

23 Australian Business Register year in review 2010–11

Rep OR T ON pe R fORMANC e 2010–11

Updates to the ABR

There were almost four million updates made to ABN records in 2010–11. This represents a 21.9% increase when compared to 2009–10. This is partly due to the introduction of AUSkey in May 2010 which required applicants to update their ABN details before applying for the new authentication credential. Updates to the ABR are likely to continue to increase as AUSkey applicants continue to update their ABN business details online. TABLE 9: Updates to the ABR

2008–09 2009–10 2010–11

updates to the ABR 4,079,685 3,272,757 3,988,668

ABN registration trends

In 2010–11, businesses could apply for an ABN: n online

n through a tax agent, who can lodge the application via the electronic lodgment service (eLS)

n on a paper application.

ABN applications by channel

About 96.2% of ABN applications were lodged online in 2010–11 compared to 93.2% in 2009–10. This demonstrates the community’s continuing shift towards web‑based transactions.

TABLE 10: ABN applications by channel

Channel 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11

Web 93.27% 93.19% 96.24%

eLS 4.34% 4.09% 2.55%

03

Our performance against service standards

We measure how we perform in the delivery of ABN registrations using service standards. In 2010–11, we exceeded our service standard for ABN registrations by 0.7%.

TABLE 11: Performance against service standards

ABN benchmarkStandard Achieved 2010–11 volume

Issued 28 days 93% 93.7% 534,147

Active digital credentials

Active ATO PKI certificates continue to decline as AUSkey is adopted by business as the preferred authentication solution. ATO measures to support business migration to AUSkey are escalating to manage final transitions through 2011–12.

TABLE 12: Active digital credentials

Active as at 30 June 2010 2011

Number of active AUSkeys 52,731 461,066

Number of active ATO pKI certificates 430,605 256,991

Digital credential processing

During 2011–12, we anticipate that AUSkey adoption will increase as businesses continue to take up online services and more agencies offer AUSkey authentication services. TABLE 13: Digital credential processing

2009–10 2010–11

AUSkeys downloaded 53,000 423,973

25 Australian Business Register year in review 2010–11

Management

and accountability

04

04

y

The Registrar

under law, for administering the ABR and ABN. This responsibility includes:

n registering new ABN applications

n maintaining the integrity of the register by ensuring records are current and accurate n providing the community with access to public data to assist in verifying core business

identity and tax registration – for example, whether an entity is registered for GST n providing eligible government agencies with access to details of registered ABN holders. The Registrar collaborates with key agencies to ensure the ABR is positioned to

support their requirements and achieve its intended outcomes. The Registrar is also the Commissioner of Taxation. These roles bear separate and distinct responsibilities. David Butler is Second Commissioner enterprise Solutions, Technology (eST) and Operations. In this role, he leads the business operations, technology and knowledge management functions of the ATO.

As at 30 June 2011, the ABR executive also consisted of the Deputy Registrar, Mark Jackson and the Assistant Registrar, Trisha Clarke.

The Deputy Registrar:

n leverages relationships with government agencies through various consultative forums to promote sharing of data and to ensure the ABR continues to be a valuable whole‑of‑government resource

n is also a Deputy Commissioner of Taxation (a role separate and distinct from that of the Deputy Registrar).

The Assistant Registrar:

n takes a leading role in developing plans and progressing the ABR as the business register for government

n manages the ABR workforce to ensure efficient and cost‑effective service to government and the community.

27 Australian Business Register year in review 2010–11

M ANAG e M e NT AND  ACCOUNT ABILIT y Michael D’Ascenzo Registrar

Australian Business Register

Commissioner of Taxation

ABR Advisory Board

David Butler

Second Commissioner Australian Taxation Office

EST & Operations

Mark Jackson

Deputy Registrar Australian Business Register

Trisha Clarke

Assistant Registrar Australian Business Register

ABR Advisory Board

Membership of the ABR Advisory Board is decided and approved by the ABR Registrar in consultation with Government.

The role of the board is to enable the best possible outcome in advancing the uptake of the ABR as a whole‑of‑government initiative as well as shape its future direction as a means of:

n reducing compliance costs for the community in dealing with government n delivering the intended benefits of the ABN and ABR.

To deliver these services to business, there is a need for agencies to work together and share knowledge as allowed by the law. The board plays a key role in setting priorities for the program of work and assist in positioning the ABN, ABR and its services to fulfil their intended roles.

The board met in December 2010 and May 2011. These meetings contributed to shaping the strategic direction of the ABR and assisted us in our mission to achieve a sense of shared responsibility across government for managing the ABR.

Registrar of the ABR, Michael D’Ascenzo is the chair of the ABR Advisory Board. He takes account of input from the board, while continuing to determine priorities, establish and review objectives and communicate progress.

ABR ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERSHIP

Commonwealth Agency membership

Treasury

Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Australian Bureau of Statistics Australian Securities and Investments Commission Department of Finance and Deregulation Australian Taxation Office Australian Business Register

Industry and Investments NSW Australian Local Government Association

ACT Revenue

Consumer Affairs Victoria

State, T

erritory and Local

Gover

nment membership

Membership of the Advisory Board is decided and approved by the ABR Registrar in consultation with Government.

To ensure a balanced representation of users of ABR and its data, state, territory and local government representatives have been drawn from treasuries, revenue offices, economic, regional planning and business service providers.

04

29 Australian Business Register year in review 2010–11

Using our resources

effectively

05

As part of our internal planning processes we allocate resources, including money and people, to perform the activities needed to achieve services and deliverables. We use the ATO Strategic Costing Framework, to track, cost and report on these activities by mapping resources to the relevant deliverables and activities. This is undertaken as part of the internal budgeting process, and helps us to:

n establish funding priorities n support decision making, and

n monitor and report financial performance.

These actions ensure the efficient, effective and ethical use of our resources to deliver our commitments in accordance with the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997.

Our resources

The total operating cost for managing the ABR during 2010–2011 was $68.9 million* with a supporting workforce of 394.

The key areas of work and associated costs attributable to the total expenditure, including property, equipment and governance are outlined in the following tables.

TABLE 14: The ABR

Workforce Expenditure $m

Processing of business applications for ABN registration 197 $32.8

Management of policy, procedures and guidelines

to support processing of ABN registrations 13 $2.1

Ongoing review, analysis and assurance of ABN registrant eligibility

and information 21 $4.6

Maintenance of the register including updates to registrant information

i.e. change of address 66 $11.8

Facilitating the availability of ABN related information for government

31 Australian Business Register year in review 2010–11

U SING OUR R e SOURC e S e FF e CTI ve Ly TABLE 15: AUSkey Workforce Expenditure $m

Processing applications for AUSkey registration 19 $2.1

Management of policy, procedures and guidelines to support client

registration for AUSkey 4 $0.8

TABLE 16: IT system and support of the ABR and AUSkey

Workforce Expenditure $m

IT system upgrades, maintenance and support of the

ABR and AUSkey 59 $11.4

TABLE 17: Expenditure summary

Workforce Expenditure $m

Total workforce and support cost of the ABR 394 $68.9*

* The Commissioner of Taxation Annual report 2010–11 identifies the total actual expenses for Program 1.1.4: Australian Business

Register as $108.8 million. This figure includes expenses for Standard Business Reporting (SBR) as a whole‑of‑government initiative, which is reported independently.

Appendixes

33 Australian Business Register year in review 2010–11

A PP e NDI xe S

ABR partner agencies

Jurisdiction and agency name Data access Public Non-public Federal

Attorney General's Department 

Attorney‑General's Department (Australian Customs and Border

protection Service) 

Attorney‑General's Department (CeRT Australia)  

Australian Bureau of Statistics  

Australian Communications and Media Authority 

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission  

Australian Crime Commission  

Australian electoral Commission 

Australian Maritime Safety Authority 

Australian Securities and Investments Commission  

Australian Taxation Office  

Australian Trade Commission (AUSTRADe)  

Centrelink (Business Integrity Performance Branch)  

Centrelink (Strategy and Capability Division) 

Department of Climate Change and energy efficiency  

Defence Materiel Organisation 

Department of education, employment and Workplace Relations  

Department of Families, Housing, Community Services

and Indigenous Affairs 

Department of Finance and Deregulation 

Department of Health and Ageing (NICNAS)  

Department of Health and Ageing (Private Health Insurance Branch)  

Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development

and Local Government 

Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research

(ABN Lookup) 

Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research

(enterprise Connect)  

Ip Australia  

Medicare Australia 

National vocational education and Training Regulator 

Office of the Fair Work Ombudsman  

State or territory

Australian Capital Territory

06

S Jurisdiction and agency name Data access

Public Non-public

ACT Planning and Land Authority 

Revenue Office  

New South Wales

Department of Finance and Services

(Government Licensing Service) 

Department of Finance and Services

(NSW Industrial Relations)  

Department of Finance and Services

(NSW Procurement) 

Department of Premier and Cabinet

(Office of environment and Heritage)  

Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure

and Services (Office of Trade, Business and Industry)   election Funding Authority (NSW electoral Commission)  

Housing NSW  

Long Service Payments Corporation  

NSW Department of education and Training  

NSW Department of Human Services (Community Services) 

NSW Food Authority  

Office of State Revenue  

Rail Corporation New South Wales (RailCorp) 

Roads and Traffic Authority 

Sydney Harbour foreshore Authority  

Sydney Water Corporation  

Technical and further education Commission 

University of New South Wales 

University of Technology, Sydney 

WorkCover Authority of NSW  

Northern Territory

Department of Business and employment  

Department of education and Training  

35 Australian Business Register year in review 2010–11

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Jurisdiction and agency name Data access Public Non-public

Contract Cleaning Industry (Portable Long Service Leave) Authority  

DeeDI (employment Industry Development and Innovation)  

Department of education and Training  

Department of employment, economic Development and Innovation

(Trade and Investment Queensland)  

Department of Justice and Attorney‑General

(Workplace Health and Safety)  

Department of Public Works

(Queensland Government Chief Procurement Office) 

Department of Transport and Main Roads (Transport)  

Office of Fair Trading  

Office of State Revenue  

QRAA  

Queensland Treasury  

WorkCover Queensland  

South Australia

Construction Industry and Long Service Leave Board  

Department for Families and Communities 

Department of Further education, employment, Science

and Technology  

Department of Further education, employment, Science

and Technology (Science and Information economy)   Department of the Premier and Cabinet (SafeWork SA)  

Department of Primary Industries and Resources (Fisheries)  

Department of Trade and economic Development  

Office for Recreation and Sport 

Revenue SA  

WorkCover SA  

Tasmania

Department of economic Development, Tourism and the Arts  

Department of Justice (Workplace Standards)  

Tasmanian Planning Commission  

Tasmanian State Revenue Office  

Tasmanian Water and Sewerage Corporation (Northern Region)  

Tasmanian Water and Sewerage Corporation

(North‑Western Region)  

Tasmanian Water and Sewerage Corporation (Southern Region)  

Victoria

06

S Jurisdiction and agency name Data access

Public Non-public

Department of Business and Innovation  

Department of Business and Innovation

(Information Management and Technology) 

Department of Health  

Department of Human Services  

Department of Justice (Consumer Affairs)  

Department of Justice (Infringement Management and enforcement

Services)  

Department of Planning and Community Development  

Department of Primary Industries ‑ Shared Business Systems  

Department of Treasury and Finance  

essential Services Commission  

Metropolitan Fire and emergency Services Board  

Office of Housing (Department of Human Services) 

State Revenue Office  

The university of Melbourne 

victorian WorkCover Authority  

Western Australia

Construction Industry Long Service Leave Payments Board  

Corruption and Crime Commission of Western Australia  

Department of education Services  

Department of Mines and Petroleum  

Department of Treasury and Finance (Government Procurement)  

Department of Water  

Insurance Commission of Western Australia  

Mid‑West Development Commission 

Small Business Development Corporation  

State Revenue Office  

Western Australian Health Promotion Foundation (t/a Healthway) 

Wheatbelt Development Commission  

Local government New South Wales

37 Australian Business Register year in review 2010–11

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Jurisdiction and agency name Data access Public Non-public

Bankstown City Council  

Blue Mountains City Council  

Burwood Council  

Campbelltown City Council  

City of Canada Bay  

City of Canterbury  

City of Newcastle  

Coffs Harbour City Council  

Dubbo City Council  

eurobodalla Shire Council  

fairfield City Council  

Gosford City Council  

Hawkesbury City Council  

Holroyd City Council  

Hornsby Shire Council  

Hurstville City Council  

Kogarah Council  

Lake Macquarie City Council  

Lismore City Council  

Liverpool City Council  

Liverpool plains Shire Council  

Manly Council  

Marrickville Council  

Mosman Municipal Council  

North Sydney Council  

parramatta City Council  

penrith City Council  

Port Macquarie‑Hastings Council  

Queanbeyan City Council  

Shoalhaven City Council  

Strathfield Council  

Sutherland Shire Council  

The Council of the City of Sydney  

The Hills Shire Council  

Tweed Shire Council  

06

S Jurisdiction and agency name Data access

Public Non-public

Willoughby City Council  

Wingecarribee Shire Council  

Wollondilly Shire Council  

Northern Territory

Alice Springs Town Council  

Central Desert Shire Council  

Darwin City Council  

Queensland

Banana Shire Council  

Brisbane City Council  

Cairns Regional Council  

Central Highlands Regional Council  

Gold Coast City Council  

Gympie Regional Council  

Ipswich City Council  

Isaac Regional Council  

Lockyer valley Regional Council  

Logan City Council  

Mackay Regional Council  

Moreton Bay Regional Council  

North Burnett Regional Council  

Redland City Council  

Rockhampton Regional Council  

Scenic Rim Regional Council  

Somerset Regional Council  

Southern Downs Regional Council  

Sunshine Coast Regional Council  

Toowoomba Regional Council  

South Australia

Adelaide Hills Council  

39 Australian Business Register year in review 2010–11

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Jurisdiction and agency name Data access Public Non-public

City of port Adelaide enfield  

City of Salisbury  

City of Tea Tree Gully  

City of unley  

City of West Torrens  

Port Pirie Regional Council  

Rural City of Murray Bridge  

The Barossa Council  

Wattle Range Council  

Tasmania

Clarence City Council  

Glenorchy City Council  

Hobart City Council  

Huon Valley Council  

Kentish Council  

Launceston City Council  

Meander Valley Council  

West Tamar Council  

Victoria

Alpine Shire Council  

Banyule City Council  

Bass Coast Shire Council  

Baw Baw Shire Council  

Benalla Rural City Council  

Brimbank City Council  

Cardinia Shire Council  

City of Ballarat  

City of Boroondara  

City of Casey  

City of Greater Dandenong  

City of Greater Geelong  

City of Kingston  

City of port phillip  

City of Stonnington  

Corangamite Shire Council  

06

S Jurisdiction and agency name Data access

Public Non-public

east Gippsland Shire Council  

Frankston City Council  

Greater Shepparton City Council  

Hume City Council  

Knox City Council  

Macedon Ranges Shire Council  

Manningham City Council  

Maroondah City Council  

Melbourne City Council  

Melton Shire Council  

Mitchell Shire Council  

Moira Shire Council  

Monash City Council  

Moonee Valley City Council  

Moreland City Council  

Mornington Peninsula Shire  

Murrindindi Shire Council  

Nillumbik Shire Council  

Northern Grampians Shire Council  

Rural City of Wangaratta  

Shire of Campaspe  

South Gippsland Shire Council  

Southern Grampians Shire Council  

Towong Shire Council  

Warrnambool City Council  

Wellington Shire Council  

Whitehorse City Council  

Whittlesea City Council  

Wodonga City Council  

Wyndham City Council  

41 Australian Business Register year in review 2010–11

A PP e NDI xe S

Jurisdiction and agency name Data access Public Non-public City of Cockburn   City of fremantle   City of Gosnells   City of Joondalup   City of Mandurah   City of perth   City of Rockingham   City of Subiaco   City of Swan   City of Wanneroo   Shire of esperance  Shire of Mundaring   Town of Bassendean   Town of vincent  

AUSkey Adopters as at 30 June, 2011

Australian Business Register Australian Taxation Office

Australian Securities and Investments Commission Centrelink

Department of veterans’ Affairs

Revenue Office (Australian Capital Territory) Office of State Revenue (New South Wales) Territory Revenue Office (Northern Territory) Office of State Revenue (Queensland) Revenue SA

Tasmanian State Revenue Office State Revenue Office (Western Australia)