Gazette notice: Commissioner of Taxation – Notice of a data-matching program

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) will acquire:

■          confirmation of government Payment made to applicants of temporary early access to superannuation for the period of 19 April 2020 to 24 September 2020 from Services Australia

■          details of incarcerated individuals for the period of 1 March 2020 to 27 September 2020 from state and territory correctional facility regulators. 

The data items include:

■          identification details (names, addresses, dates of birth)

■          Services Australia transaction details:

–           Government payment/benefit type (JobSeeker payment, parenting payment, special benefit, youth allowance, farm household allowance).

–           Date granted – including where claim for benefit is made and yet to be commenced

–           Ceased government payment/benefit

–           Date government payment/benefit ceased

■          State and territory correctional facility regulators transaction details:

–           State of incarceration

–           Date of incarceration

–           Expected release date (if available)

The data collected from Services Australia is expected to relate to approximately three million individuals.

The data collected from the state and territory correctional facility regulators is expected to relate to approximately 45,000 individuals. 

The data will be acquired and matched to verify eligibility criteria for:

■          JobKeeper payments

■          temporary early access to superannuation

■          temporary cash flow boost. 

The objectives of this program are to:

■          ensure COVID-19 economic response provides timely support to affected workers business and the broader community

■          undertake verification of applications and identify compliance issues

■          implement treatment strategies to improve voluntary compliance, which may include educational and compliance activities as appropriate

■          identify and educate those individuals and businesses who may be failing to meet their registration and/or lodgment obligations and assist them to comply

■          help ensure that individuals and businesses are fulfilling their tax and superannuation reporting obligations

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 data-matching as an administrative tool in a way that complies with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act) and are consistent with good privacy practice.

A full copy of the ATO’s privacy policy can be accessed at ato.gov.au/privacy