DSPANZ provided a submission to the Productivity Commission's inquiry into business reporting requirements on 30 September 2026.
What we said
DSPANZ recognised that business software often provides the functionality that helps businesses collect, calculate or report information to the government to meet their tax, payroll and superannuation reporting requirements. At the same time they are also required to meet reporting requirements themselves, such as data breach and cyber security incident reporting across various government obligations.
DSPANZ supported the Commission's objective of reducing unnecessary reporting burden, businesses reporting once to government and the reuse of core information across government agencies. We suggested that there is a significant opportunity to simplify how information is reported through establishing common data standards and definitions and better aligning reporting requirements with business processes.
We note that reporting through business software is an effective and efficient mechanism for government to puruse. However, assumptions are made as to what information is included and available to be reported within software. Prior to any decisions being made on business reporting, there is a need to understand the underlying business process, the information it produces and whether this information is captured within all business software.
Early engagement with DSPs can help the government test whether required information exists, whether software is an appropriate delivery mechanism and whether the proposed reform will genuinely reduce the reporting burden for businesses.
DSPANZ ultimately recommended that any reforms resulting from this inquiry:
- Establish what information businesses actually hold and is available to reported through business software.
- Design reporting reform around natural business processes, and understand whether leveraging will genuinely reduce the reporting burden.
- Harmonise common reporting defintiions and data standards, reusing existing standards where appropriate.
- Engage DSPs and consider implementation requirements early in design and well before solutions are settled.
Read the full submission.
What happens next
The Productivity Commission will release an interim report in November 2026. The final report will be shared with government in February 2027.