Publishing details about the data-matching program
We first published details about the Officeholder data-matching program on 3 November 2023.
The program has been amended on 26 August 2024 to include:
- additional information about the program objectives and the ways we expect to use the data to capture our increased usage of this data for tax and super compliance purposes
- updated references to legislation that enables collection and on-disclosure of data
We notify the public of our intention to collect 2023–24 to 2026–27 data by:
- publishing a notice in the Federal Register of LegislationExternal Link gazette in the week starting 30 October 2023a
- publishing this data-matching program protocol on our website at Data-matching protocols
- advising data providers that they
- can notify their clients of their participation in this program
- should consider updating their privacy policies to note that personal information is disclosed to the ATO for data-matching purposes.
Gazette notice
The following information about the data-matching program appears as a gazette notice in the Federal Register of Legislation.
Gazette notice: Commissioner of Taxation – Notice of an Officeholder data-matching program 26 August 2024
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) will acquire officeholder data from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC), the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), and the Australian Business Registry Service (ABRS) for 2023–24 through to 2026–27.
The data items include:
- name, address, date of birth, Australian business number, email address, contact phone number, business name, organisation class, organisation type, organisation status, state of incorporation, officeholder type, role type, officeholder role start and end dates as recorded on the publicly available ASIC Companies register, the ORIC register of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations, and the ACNC Charity Register.
We estimate that records relating to more than 11 million individuals will be obtained.
The objectives of the Officeholder data-matching program are to:
- enable Australian Business Registry Services (ABRS)External Link to increase uptake of the director identification number (director ID) through better information on officeholders recorded by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC) and the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)
- effectively link persons known to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to officeholders and their associated companies as recorded on the ASIC Companies register, the ORIC Register of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations, and the ACNC Charity Register
- promote voluntary compliance and strengthen community confidence in the integrity of the tax and super systems by publicising the running of this data-matching program
- identify and educate company officeholders who may be failing to meet their registration and ongoing payment, withholding, or lodgment obligations and assist them to comply
- Identify and educate new company officeholders of their director ID obligations
- Identify and contact company office holders to confirm registration details including contact numbers, addresses or names
- help ensure company officeholders are fulfilling their tax and super reporting and compliance obligations
- identify, deter, and disrupt those promoting or engaging in illegal phoenix activity
- better utilise registry data to combat unlawful activity.
A document describing this program is available at ato.gov.au/dmprotocols.
This program follows the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner’s Guidelines on data matching in Australian Government administration (2014) (the guidelines). The guidelines include standards for the use of data matching as an administrative tool in a way that:
- complies with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act)
- is consistent with good privacy practice.
A full copy of the ATO’s privacy policy can be accessed at ato.gov.au/privacy.