2016 was a successful year for ABSIA. ABSIA has become recognised as a credible voice representing the software industry. We have been invited to be at the table in Reinventing the ATO Transformation Program and culture change effort within ATO, and joined the boards of SBR and ABR. We are a founding member of Digital Business Council and actively involved in the future of eInvoicing in Australia. We have instigated conversations that helped re-position certain policy decisions, which our members consider to be a huge achievement. We also received international recognition at America's 4th Data Transparency 2016 Conference and White House Open Data Innovation Summit in Washington DC, with Australia’s SBR program mentioned in the US Presidential Briefing Paper 'Open Data Transition Report,' and our design of interaction with government emerging as a leading practice.
In 2017, we will build on these achievements and focus on the following areas:
- Build a thriving ecosystem of software and technology companies around GovTech. We have started watershed “line in the sand” conversations around what services and capabilities will the government provide and what will the industry provide.
- Whole-of-Government effort aims at easier access and interaction with the government by the Australian community. The software industry has a key role to play in setting expectations, providing constructive feedback and taking the journey together in programs and service delivery. As well as working with the federal agencies, ABSIA has been in dialogue with the state and territories governments with a view to progressing this effort more widely.
- End-to-end Digital is the joint vision and aspiration for business to government reporting, and the SBR infrastructure delivered $1.2b savings in 2015-2016. ABSIA and ATO will jointly accelerate uptake of SBR both in the government and the industry, and at the same time enabling economic profitability for the software industry.
Now is a very exciting time to be part of ABSIA, to be a partner as the Australian Government agencies transform with the rising expectations of the Australian business community. I am honoured to be given the opportunity to take on the role of President, and as an independent director of ABSIA, I commit to upholding ABSIA’s integrity. The Board of ABSIA unanimously is committed to improving our standing through improved running of the association, and ensuring that our members receive value from their membership through delivering outcomes that will support the industry.
From all of the team at ABSIA, we wish you all the very best for the festive season and thank you for your contribution this year.
Karen Lay-Brew,
ABSIA President.