We have made a number of submissions to government and other authorities recently, with two of them focusing directly on issues affecting members, as outlined further below (refer to page 3 of this edition of Voice for a full list of our submissions, all available on our website). 

Submission to the Tax Ombudsman regarding OSfA 

We made a written submission to the Tax Ombudsman regarding her review of the ATO's Online Services for Agents ('OSfA') and Practice Mail. Our submission, based on feedback provided by members, stated that many tax practitioners widely regard OSfA and Practice Mail as falling short of what is required to support efficient, day-to-day engagement by tax agents with the ATO. 

We also noted in our submission that our members have consistently told us over many years that they would prefer to 'self-service' through OSfA, while they have reported that the platform does not yet provide all the tools, reliability, or communication channels necessary to make OSfA a practical and default option for many routine tasks. 

Submission regarding AI and the Code of Conduct 

We also made a written submission to the Tax Practitioners Board ('TPB') providing input on behalf of our members regarding the TPB's Exposure Draft TPB(I) D62/2026: The use of Artificial Intelligence and the Code of Professional Conduct ('the draft information sheet'). 

Our submission drew on our direct engagement with members on AI-related questions and concerns as they assess and adopt AI tools in their practices. We noted that NTAA member feedback and our own experience indicate that the draft information sheet, while correctly identifying the relevant obligations, does not provide sufficient practical, proportionate guidance that practitioners need so that they can comply with confidence. 

Our submission made four recommendations, each grounded in the practical realities our members face.