PrintTax Talk
William Daw, Chairperson of the Dinka (Jieng) Community Council of Australia Inc.Photograph courtesy Australian Taxation Office
Each year, the Australian Tax Office’s Access and Diversity Unit holds community forums to get feedback from the community on the value of their products and services. In 2008, the forums attracted almost one hundred representatives in Sydney and Melbourne. Attendees came from new and established communities and from a wide range of cultural backgrounds. Settlement service providers and other government agencies also attended.
Demonstrating the importance of these forums, the Commissioner of Taxation, Michael D’Ascenzo, was present at the 2008 Melbourne forum, fielding questions from the audience and meeting with community representatives. In opening the forum, he commented that ‘a good, fair tax system that respects people’s rights and serves the community is the backbone of a good society’.
Mr D’Ascenzo also highlighted two new initiatives for the coming year – an online audio-visual product and a pilot of a multilingual hotline, reflecting the Tax Office’s commitment to act on community feedback.
Participation in the open forum was characterised by openness and honesty, with participants speaking of the challenges faced by new migrants and expressing a willingness to work with the Tax Office to help their communities.
William Daw, representing the Melbourne Sudanese community, echoed the enthusiasm of others in the room to work with the Tax Office to assist his community.
‘If you don’t know the tax system, you become a victim of it. Volunteers from our community can work with you to educate the Sudanese community.’
Other participants spoke about the difficulties of getting tax information from the internet or over the phone, and said that people with limited English skills are often ‘scared to ask for advice’. A representative from the Chinese community reinforced this, requesting more face-to-face services for people from a non-English speaking background.
The relaxed atmosphere gave many participants the confidence to express their views, and facilitator Thang Ngo, National Manager SBS In Language, ensured everyone had the opportunity to speak. In closing, Thang urged the participants to continue working together to achieve more.
