In April 2021 DSPANZ, the Australian Business of Statistics (ABS) and major cloud accounting software platforms MYOB, QuickBooks and Xero, held a hackathon to test out an idea - using APIs to allow small and medium businesses to report to the ABS through their accounting software.
The project recently reviewed government support following
a media release
on 16 February 2022 announcing a $20 million investment over four years to develop the new reporting application that will enable
businesses to submit surveys from within their accounting software.
"From March next year, eligible businesses will be able to complete the Quarterly Business Indicators Survey through their accounting software. This will reduce the time it takes businesses to provide vital performance data by around 70 per cent and save an approximate $4.4 million per year." - Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar.
As part of this initiative, the ABS will also provide tailored reports back to businesses allowing them to better understand their performance against similar businesses.
John Shepherd, General Manager of the Industry Statistics Division at the ABS, who has been leading this work to reduce the burden of business surveys, joined us for two webinars last year where he presented on this and other projects at the ABS relevant to Digital Service Providers. Members can access the recordings and learn more about how this project came about by using the following links: