Australian Government Accountability Register
Sourced cases, hearings, public money and department accountability research.
Department dashboards
- Australian Taxation Office
- Services Australia
- Department of Home Affairs
- Department of Defence
- Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
- Attorney-General's Department
- Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
- Department of Education
- Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
- Department of Finance
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
- Department of Industry, Science and Resources
- Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts
- Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
- Department of Social Services
- Department of the Treasury
- Department of Veterans' Affairs
- Department of Parliamentary Services
- Department of the House of Representatives
- Department of the Senate
- Parliamentary Budget Office
Published case history
Small business debt: partly effective oversight
The national auditor identified weaknesses in performance measures, benchmarks, communication and the use of debt data.
Collectable debt excludes amounts under objection or appeal, insolvency or on hold. This audit does not establish the cost or merits of individual contested tax cases.
Historical maladministration and safeguards against bias
An independent investigation substantiated some historical procedural failings. A subsequent review examined current safeguards.
Other serious allegations were not substantiated. The individual report remains confidential; this register does not identify the taxpayer or infer unpublished details.
Complaints handling: gaps in records and root cause analysis
An independent audit identified improvements needed in complaint records, analysis, reporting and implementation of recommendations.
The overall conclusion was that complaints management was largely effective. Improvement recommendations are not findings of corruption or proof of misconduct by every officer.
Addy: working-holiday tax treatment overturned
An individual’s tax appeal succeeded under the UK–Australia treaty’s non-discrimination provision after proceedings through multiple court levels.
An adverse interpretation of tax law is not itself a finding of misconduct or waste. This test case affected a wider group. The assessed liability and the marginal amount disputed must not be confused.
Apted: sole trader’s JobKeeper discretion dispute
A sole trader challenged refusal of JobKeeper eligibility. The appeal clarified review of the Commissioner’s discretion to allow a later ABN date.
This concerns access to a benefit, not a tax debt being chased. A sole-trader classification does not establish turnover under a particular statutory small-business test. No misconduct finding is asserted.
Glencore: transfer-pricing dispute and appeals
A multinational corporate group disputed transfer-pricing assessments, followed by a largely unsuccessful Commissioner’s appeal.
A complex transfer-pricing test can serve a wider tax-system purpose. An agency loss does not prove a frivolous case or misconduct. The first-instance text is a reproduction; subsequent appellate qualifications must be read with it.
McAuliffe v ATO: legal attendance and proportionality
An employment decision records extensive ATO legal attendance and questions the proportionality of public expenditure.
The unfair dismissal application was dismissed because a dismissal had not occurred. This was an employment dispute, not tax recovery. A reproduced decision is linked; original court record verification remains outstanding. Paragraphs 2 and 67 spell counsel’s first name differently (Bryan / Brian); identity is not silently resolved.