How we use officeholder data
Officeholder data will support the identification of companies and individuals for administrative action.
Data analytics and insights
Linking to officeholder data as recorded on the ASIC Companies register, ORIC register of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations, and the ACNC Charity Register helps us administer the director ID service by and maintain the integrity of the tax and super systems:
- linking a director ID holder and their company appointments
- informing individuals who hold an appointment within a company of their obligations to obtain a director ID by issuing advisory educational emails and letters
- avoiding unnecessary contact with individuals who are correctly meeting their director ID obligations
- identifying and confirming or correcting company officeholder contact details in ATO systems.
Previous related programs
The officeholder data-matching program was first published on 3 November 2023. We are updating this data-matching program to include the collection of additional financial years, and to provide further information about our use of this data.
As part of the delivery of the director ID service, the ABRS matched company directors from ASIC to their ATO record. This enabled the ABRS to identify those directors with an obligation to apply for a director ID and provide them with tailored support to apply.
Data providers
We are the data matching agency, and the data obtained during this data-matching program will be used by us and the ABRS.
Data will be obtained from the:
- Australian Securities and Investments Commission
- Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations
- Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission
- Australian Business Registry Service.
Eligibility as a data provider
We adopt a principles-based approach to ensure that our selection of data providers is fair and transparent.
Data will be obtained from ASIC, ORIC, ACNC, and ABRS based on their functions and powers to administer company, Indigenous corporation, charity registrations, and director ID registrations.
Our formal information gathering powers
To ensure statutory requirements are met, we may obtain data under our formal information gathering powers. These are contained in section 353-10 of Schedule 1 to the Taxation Administration Act 1953.
This is a coercive power, and data providers are obligated to provide the information requested.
We may use the data for tax and super compliance purposes.
Data disclosure
Subsections 1274(2) and 1274A of the Corporations Act (2001) authorise the disclosure of publicly available officeholder information by ASIC.
Subsection 127(2A) of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act (2001) authorises the disclosure of confidential information by ASIC to the Commissioner of Taxation.
Subsection 17(3) of the Commonwealth Registers Act 2020 authorises the disclosure of information from the ABRS to the ATO.
Paragraph 604-25(4)(f) of the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act (2006) authorises the disclosure of protected information to the ATO.
ACNC Data is disclosed to the ATO under legislative authority of:
- section 150-40 of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission Act (2012), and the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission (Consequential and Transitional) Act (2012)
- Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Regulation 2013
- Charities Act 2013.
Privacy Act
Data will only be used within the limits prescribed by Australian Privacy Principle 6 (APP6) contained in Schedule 1 of the Privacy Act, and in particular:
- APP6.2(b) – the use of the information is required or authorised by an Australian law
- APP6.2(e) – the ATO reasonably believes that the use of the information is reasonably necessary for our enforcement-related activities.
Data elements we collect
We will collect data for the 2023–24 to 2026–27 financial years.
Client identification details – individuals
Identification details include:
- given name and family name(s)
- date(s) of birth
- place of birth (country and state or territory)
- addresses (residential, postal, other)
- Australian business number (if applicable)
- email address
- contact phone number.
Client identification details – non-individuals
Identification details include:
- business, corporation, or charity name
- organisation class
- organisation type
- organisation status
- addresses (business, postal, registered, other)
- Australian business number
- Indigenous corporation number (if applicable)
- contact name
- contact phone number
- email address
- state of incorporation
- charity status (if applicable)
- Australian Company Number (ACN) or Australian Registered Body Number (ARBN) (if applicable).
Officeholder role details
The officeholder role details include:
- officeholder type (that is, person or organisation)
- role type (that is, Director, Secretary, Liquidator)
- organisation type
- officeholder role start date
- officeholder role end date
- address number for the officeholder
- address of the officeholder.
Number of records
We expect to collect data on more than 11 million individuals.
Data quality
We anticipate that the data quality will be of a high standard as there is a requirement for government entities and agencies to account for and report on data relating to directors.
Data retention
We collect data weekly under this program for all financial years from 2023–24 to 2026–27. The data is then matched, with the matched dataset refreshed with each new weekly data collection.
We destroy data that is no longer required in accordance with the Archives Act 1983, and the records authorities issued by the National Archives of Australia, for both general and ATO-specific data.