THE ATO has said it understands that the pressure of meeting tax and super obligations can contribute to mental health issues for small business owners and is now offering a range of support to struggling businesses.

Deputy Commissioner Deborah Jenkins attended the Small Business Mental Health roundtable chaired by Senator Michaelia Cash, Minister for Small and Family Business, Skills and Vocational Education at Parliament House yesterday. Ms Jenkins said the ATO was committed to working with government and community organisations to address the issue.

“More and more small businesses are telling us that they are under stress. We understand that long hours, cash flow pressures, endless paperwork, staff issues and the blurring boundaries between work and family life can take a toll on mental health,” Ms Jenkins said.

“That’s why we are working together with organisations such as Beyond Blue, ASBFEO, small businesses and their associations as well as tax practitioners to develop initiatives to better support small business owners with their tax and super obligations when they are experiencing mental health issues.”

"We have rolled out training for all of our frontline staff to assist them to better understand mental health issues and show empathy for taxpayers who are struggling. Nearly 6,000 staff have already undertaken the training.

"We also offer a range of services aimed at helping businesses stay on track.

"Because we know that managing debt can be a big contributor of stress for small businesses, we have been making it easier for small businesses to negotiate and enter into payment plans if they need them. In 2017–18, we negotiated 790,000 payment plans with small businesses.

“Payment plans allow small businesses to manage their tax debts and take the pressure off when other bills are due. But our primary focus in 2019 will be on early engagement and support before debts are due,” Ms Jenkins said.

The ATO has a small business live chat service and an after-hours call back service available from Monday to Thursday. Small business owners can also subscribe to the Small Business Newsroom to get all the latest information and alerts.

The ATO's website has more information for people running small business experiencing mental health issues - ato.gov.au/smallbizmentalhealth

Resources available for small business owners on the website: ato.gov.au/SBsupport.

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THE HAYNE Royal Commission’s recommendation to create a new independent ‘super-regulatory’ body to oversee ASIC and APRA to drive accountabilities of the two regulatory bodies may have some merit but some fundamentals have to be addressed, says the Institute of Public Accountants (IPA).

“The IPA has long advocated for the need to appropriately fund and resource the regulators to enable them to do their job,” IPA chief executive officer, Andrew Conway said.

“While on face value, having a regulatory body regulating the regulators may appear a regulatory overkill, if it achieves the desired accountability outcomes, it may have merit.

“One may question if something is broken, why not fix it before funding yet another layer of regulation," he said.

“Regardless, what we do not want to see, is further regulatory burden being filtered down on the shoulders of small business operators.

“Our Small Business White Paper points to the need to look at regulator culture and adjust behaviours that do not inflict unnecessary burden on SMEs. 

“In particular, research shows that an increasing number of small businesses continue to be concerned with the impact of laws and regulations on their ability to run their businesses and innovate," Mr Conway said.

“We also do not want to see the targeting of small targets due to additional pressure placed on ASIC to enforce, while there are more complex and yet, bigger fish to fry.

“The Royal Commission findings point to many cases where prosecution should have applied and all must be done to support those that have been aggrieved through the unscrupulous behaviour of the banking, mortgage brokerage and insurance industries.

“Up until recent times, ASIC has had the regulatory teeth on paper but not the resources and funding to actually bite so they should be given the good grace to prove themselves,” Mr Conway said.

www.publicaccountants.org.au

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TRANSPORT automation has significant implications for the provision of mass transit, depending on how it is managed.

In its submission to the automated mass transit inquiry, the Bus Industry Confederation (BIC) stated, "The introduction of driverless vehicles should be seen as an opportunity to review mobility in general, reflecting on the whole mobility system, the purpose and value of mobility and how it can be accomplished better in social, environmental and economic terms, recognising the potential benefits and challenges associated with driverless vehicles."

BIC expressed concern that automated private vehicles may lead to increased car usage, higher congestion, greater urban sprawl, and declining public transport use as people were attracted to the convenience of automation and the personal time-cost of travel became less relevant.

The alternative was a transport future based on shared-mobility, with flexible services branching off strong trunk routes, guaranteeing access, avoiding congestion and preventing urban sprawl.

The BIC held the view that “the move to autonomy will and needs to be led by mass transit bus services operating on bus priority infrastructure and dedicated bus rapid transit infrastructure such as the Brisbane Busways”.

The BIC and other organisations  will be appearing at a public hearing tomorrow as part of the House Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Cities’ inquiry into automated mass transit. The Committee will explore issues related to both automation and alternative fuels.

Committee chair, John Alexander MP, said that transport automation presented both real opportunities and real challenges to government and the community.

“The automation of mass transit is not just about driverless buses and trains—it’s also about how mass transit will fit into an automated transport future and how we will manage questions of mobility more generally.”

Mr Alexander suggested that “ideally, automated transport would be incorporated into the master-planning of the urban and regional environment in a way that maximises connectivity while promoting compact and accessible urban forms”.

Public hearing details: 8.30am – 12.10pm, Friday, February 15, 2019 Committee Room 1R3, Parliament House, Canberra

8.30am – 9.10am: ANCAP
9.10am – 9.50am: Siemens Mobility SAS
9.50am – 10.30am: CSIRO
10.50am – 11.30am: Engineers Australia
11.30am – 12.10pm: Bus Industry Confederation
12.10pm: Close

The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live

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THE Industry, Innovation, Science and Resources Committee will host a discussion involving several prominent organisations in the emerging Australian space industry, including the newly established Australian Space Agency.

The discussion will be held in a roundtable format featuring a number of industry participants, including Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest Defence contractor, and Airbus Australia.  

Members of the public are welcome to attend or listen in as the hearing will be broadcast live. RSVP to the Standing Committee on Industry, Innovation, Science and Resources, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Other participants include the Department of Defence, Myriota and Professor Russell Boyce, Chair of Space Engineering at the University of New South Wales, Canberra.

Public briefing details: 10:30am to 12:30pm, Wednesday, 20 February 2019, Committee Room 1R3, Parliament House, Canberra.

The hearing will be broadcast live at www.aph.gov.au/live

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