Former Service NSW chief Damon Rees has been appointed to lead an independent review of how the federal government’s Modernising Business Registers program is progressing.
The $480 million MBR was created in June 2020 with the aim of streamlining how business owners register information with the government.
The review will consider a number of issues including potentially revising the scope of the program, which currently seeks to unify the Australian Business Register and 31 ASIC registers on single platform and introduce a director ID system to prevent illegal phoenix activity.
The program is due to be progressively rolled out between 2021 and 2024 by the ATO in partnership with Treasury, ASIC, the DTA and the Department of Industry, Science and Resources.
Assistant Treasurer and financial services minister Stephen Jones says Mr Rees will bring wide experience in digitally enabled transformation to the review, which will be supported by a secretariat from other agencies including Treasury and the DTA.
AS CEO of Service NSW Mr Rees oversaw a number of major ICT projects including the introduction of the digital drivers licence before departing late last year to launch a professional services business.
The MBR review will consider expenditure and drivers of cost increases, progress on meeting the objectives of the program and governance and management.
It will make recommendations on improving IT solutions, reducing costs and speeding up delivery, as well as “appropriate revisions to the scope of the program’s deliverables”.
Mr Rees will report to the government by June 30.
The MBR has also been is listed as a potential 2022-23 target for audit by the Australian National Audit Office.
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