charter / ITAC charter / march 2015 / UNCLASSIFIED
format / Audience / Date / Classification
/ File Ref: / v0.5
Implementation and Transition Advisory Committee Charter
UNCLASSIFIED / For further information or questions, call 02 621 63039
UNCLASSIFIED / FINAL VERSION / PAGE 2 OF 8
UNCLASSIFIED / ITAC CHARTER
Contents
Purpose 3
Terms of reference 3
Type of committee and length of term 3
Decision making authority 3
Governance and relationships 3
Membership 4
Standing members 4
Other Attendees 4
Secretariat 4
Attendees 4
Roles and responsibilities 5
The Committee Chair 5
Standing Members 5
Secretariat 6
Delivery mechanisms 6
Resources 6
Frequency and timing of meetings 6
Records management 6
Risks and issues management 7
ComMunication procedures 7
Payment of expenses 7
Procedures for Conflicts of interest and roles 7
Review and assurance 8
Charter approval 8
UNCLASSIFIED / Final / PAGE 2 OF 8UNCLASSIFIED / ITAC CHARTER
Purpose
Terms of reference
The primary purpose of the Implementation and Transition Advisory Committee (ITAC) is to facilitate engagement between the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and the software industry and key stakeholders to support the implementation of Single Touch Payroll (STP).
The advisory committee will be responsible for providing overarching direction, progressing the overall design, managing timeframes and ensuring timely implementation in collaboration with stakeholders in the Single Touch Payroll partnership framework.
The ATO is accountable for delivering on the Government's policy intent.
Type of committee and length of term
Category: External Environment
Length of term: Continuing committee
Decision making authority
The ITAC is an advisory group focused on the transition to STP. It acts in a support capacity with regard to the ATO’s STP project governance. It will consider matters arising from the business and technical working groups, as well as those that arise out of the responsibilities of the advisory group.
Governance and relationships
Single Touch Payroll is part of the ATO’s Reinventing the ATO agenda and as such, is governed by the Reinventing the ATO governance framework, including the Program Office and the Steering Committee for Contemporary Digital Services.
The Program Office specifically monitors risk and issue management, governance and assurance and benefits/outcomes management for the Reinvention programs.
The Chair of ITAC will report back to the Single Touch Payroll Steering Committee on the ITAC’s activities.
A senior executive reference group currently oversees program governance for STP.
Membership
Standing members
Membership is comprised of senior ATO executives and representatives of software developers and practitioner associations.
ATO
§ Rowan Fraser (Chair and STP Project Lead) – Assistant Commissioner, Service Delivery
§ Michael Heath – Assistant Commissioner, Enterprise Solution and Technology
§ Chris Thorne – Assistant Commissioner, Enterprise Solution and Technology
§ Lesley Slevin – Assistant Commissioner, Software Industry Partnership Office
§ Philip Hind – National Program Manager – Super Stream
Industry Representatives
§ Council of Small Business of Australia (COSBOA) – Peter Strong, Executive Director
§ Australian Business Software Industry Association(ABSIA) – Nicholas Perrott (Attache Software - small & medium software companies)
§ Australian Business Software Industry Association(ABSIA) – Joy Hooper (Oracle Corporation - large software companies)
§ CPA Australia (Certified Practicing Accountants) – Mark Morris, Senior Tax Counsel
§ The Association for Payroll Specialists (TAPS) – Maureen Martin
§ Australian Payroll Association (APA) – Tracy Angwin, Executive Director
§ Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia – Sarah O’Brien
§ Alana Haiduk, Principal – People – PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
§ Payroll Intermediaries – Graham Coutts – ADP Employer Services
Other Attendees
The Chair may choose to invite guests to attend meetings of the ITAC, for a term defined by the Chair.
Secretariat
Secretariat services are provided by Software Industry Partnership Office. The secretariat can be contacted via email at .
Attendees
Other attendees must abide by the member responsibilities and, when acting as a substitute member, must communicate decisions and agreements to the member within a reasonable timeframe.
Members are required to provide a name of the secondary person who would act as a substitute in the event that they could not make a meeting.
Roles and responsibilities
The Committee Chair
The Chair’s role and responsibilities are to ensure the committee operates effectively to meet its purpose as defined in the terms of reference of the committee.
Specifically, the Chair is responsible for:
§ setting the direction and focus for committee activities
§ establishing and reviewing short-term and long-term committee goals
§ directing deliberations of the committee, by framing the issues, setting the tone for the committee’s discussions and actively engaging all members in discussion
§ maintaining relationships with key stakeholders
§ assessing and managing risk
§ ensuring the committee operates in an accountable manner in adding value for the software industry and tax administration, and
§ planning the committee’s workload
§ calling meetings and setting the agenda
§ leading meetings, ensuring that minutes are kept and records maintained, and
§ ensuring that action items assigned to the ATO are progressed.
Standing Members
Responsibilities of members include:
§ raising systemic issues in tax administration affecting ABSIA members, the broader software industry and/or their clients and members of other industry associations
§ acting in the best interests of the tax and superannuation system as a whole
§ respecting and abiding by the charter
§ working with the Chair to identify top priorities for the work program
§ contributing to the effectiveness of the committee in meeting its purpose as defined in the terms of reference of the committee
§ engaging in constructive, open and frank discussion in bringing a members’ perspective to committee discussions
§ fairly and responsibly representing the views of the software industry or their membership in discussions with the ATO
§ communicating decisions and activities of the committee as agreed with the Chair
§ declaring conflicts of interests, in accordance with the Committee Management Practice Statement of the ATO
§ respecting all confidentiality requirements
§ acting with due diligence and good faith
§ dealing with other members and other representatives associated with the committee ethically and with courtesy and respect, and
§ progressing any action items assigned to them
§ not using membership of the advisory group for any promotional or advertising purposes of commercial entities
Secretariat
The secretariat is responsible for:
§ preparing and distributing the agenda and papers to members before meetings
§ organising all administrative requirements for each meeting
§ taking minutes and maintaining records of the meetings
§ publishing endorsed minutes on the ATO website
§ obtaining responses to agenda items and action items and distributing to members before each meeting
§ recording the key achievements of the ITAC each financial year
§ responding to queries of systemic nature raised by members, or escalating queries to relevant areas of the ATO
§ communicating with members in a timely manner
§ providing reports as required
§ effective coordination and support for undertaking the annual review
§ tracking issues escalated to other areas within the ATO, and
§ maintaining a register of members and their details.
Delivery mechanisms
Resources
The ATO will provide appropriate resources to ensure the Chair and secretariat are able to meet commitments made to the ITAC’s operations, in line with agreed budgets.
Frequency and timing of meetings
Monthly, via video conference for 90 minutes, ITAC secretariat to arrange.
Records management
Full records of ITAC meetings including agenda, papers and meeting outcomes will be stored in accordance with the CEI 2014/01/01: Records Management. Electronic agendas and papers will be stored on the secure share drive by the secretariat.
The secretariat will provide ongoing coordination, record-keeping and liaison with members for all matters to do with the operations of the ITAC.
Draft meeting outcomes and action items arising from meetings will be circulated for comment as soon as possible following each meeting. Members will be given the opportunity to request changes.
Once endorsed, the meeting outcomes will be published on the SIPO website within 14 days of the meeting and on the ATO website
Risks and issues management
The Chair will identify risks and significant issues. The Chair will ensure that:
§ records associated with risks and issues are appropriately maintained, in accordance with ATO procedures
§ corporate risks and systemic issues are communicated to relevant key stakeholders in the ATO
§ risks are appropriately assessed and mitigation strategies implemented as deemed necessary.
§ The Chair, as appropriate will provide guidance when issues cannot be satisfactorily resolved.
§ Matters that cannot be resolved by the Committee Chair will be escalated to the ATO’s Single Touch Payroll Steering Committee to be resolved.
§ Where the Chair and the majority of members conclude that a matter cannot be satisfactorily resolved, the Chair is responsible for escalating the systemic issue to the appropriate area of the ATO. Particularly important intelligence or sensitive issues will also to be escalated.
ComMunication procedures
§ The Chair is responsible for communicating decisions to members and other key stakeholders in the ATO and recognised industry associations.
§ Members will ensure that the secretariat has current contact details and are advised of any specific communication requirements.
§ All requests for out-of-session decisions should be forwarded to the secretariat to circulate to committee members.
Payment of expenses
To reflect the collaborative nature of the ITAC and the partnership between the ATO and the software industry and industry associations, members will not be paid or reimbursed by the ATO for the cost of their time spent attending meetings or attending to other issues.
Members will not be paid consultancy or sitting fees by the ATO.
Procedures for Conflicts of interest and roles
Conflicts of interest and/or conflicts of roles are to be declared by all members as soon as they arise.
A conflict of interest occurs when a person’s personal interests could appear to, or are likely to, inappropriately influence or affect their role as a member of the ITAC. A conflict of interest can be real or apparent. It can also be both financial and non-financial in nature.
Conflicts of roles arise when members represent two different roles, the performance of which may raise perceived or actual conflicts.
The Chair is responsible for determining the appropriate course of action for dealing with specific conflicts of interest.
Depending on the conflict involved, the Chair may excuse the member from the meeting for the relevant agenda item, or may take other appropriate action.
Review and assurance
The Chair will review the committee’s operations quarterly.
The Chair will conduct reviews of the committee in consultation with members and key stakeholders, ensuring the effectiveness of the committee.
The findings of the review will be reported to members.
Charter approval
Proposed by the Chair
Signed: ______
Date: ______
Approved by: Second Commissioner, People, Systems and Services
Signed: ______
Date: ______
UNCLASSIFIED / final / PAGE 8 OF 8