The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has announced that AUSkey, the electronic authentication credential that businesses and not-for-profits have been using to access government services online, will be retired in March 2020.
Many not-for-profit organisations will have used AUSkey at some point since it was introduced in 2010 to access various government services online, such as ASIC Connect and the Australian Business Register.
The authentication process AUSkey fulfils will be replaced with two services: myGovID and Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM). The myGovID service will be used to verify an individual’s identity, and the RAM service will allow individuals to link their myGovID to a business or not-for-profit organisation’s Australian Business Number (ABN).
In our experience, managing AUSkey credentials can often be troublesome for NFPs; it can be difficult to monitor who in the organisation has an AUSkey, particularly as staff move to new roles or retire.
We are cautiously optimistic about this change and hope that it will make it easier for NFPs to manage who in their organisation can access online services on behalf of the organisation.
The myGovID and RAM services are currently being tested in a public beta, which certain businesses may be eligible to participate in. In the meantime, organisations can continue to use AUSkey while transitioning to the myGovID and RAM services as they become available.
Please contact us if you would like further information about this change, or take a look on the ATO’s website.
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