At a recent conference both the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) signalled optimism about how artificial intelligence can bolster businesses' understanding of their obligations, without replacing human oversight.
ATO Commissioner Rob Heferen highlighted how last year's small business resources have already been accessed one million times, yet AI backed tools like "Beryl, Australia's smartest payroll assistant" could elevate accuracy and accessibility even further. Instead of consolidating content on a single website, an AI assistant could draw from multiple official sources,law, tax, employment and present answers in a user-friendly, real-time format.
Fair Work Ombudsman Anna Booth echoed this sentiment, envisioning natural language AI tools trained on payroll materials to complement existing advisory services. These tools could make it easier for employers to access the right information, without the risk of landing on misleading general web searches.
Neither agency has committed to launching such external facing tools, but their openness to the technology signals a shift toward tech enabled compliance support. Meanwhile, the FWO is taking a proactive yet cautious approach, prioritising ethically responsible deployment and strong governance .
Spotlight on Beryl: Building confidence in payroll
Navigating complex payroll issues shouldn't slow you down. Beryl, your personal payroll expert, brings Australian Payroll Association (APA) expertise directly to your fingertips,streamlining compliance and simplifying even the most intricate payroll scenarios.
What makes Beryl stand out?
Instant and reliable support
Beryl is always available, by email or app. No more waiting for replies or digging through dense legislation. She delivers fast, trusted answers grounded in APA's curated knowledge base and last 50,000 questions answered, not general internet content.Expert guidance without the jargon
Powered by advanced AI, Beryl communicates like a friendly payroll specialist. She interprets modern awards, Fair Work mandates, ATO rules, and more, distilling them into clear, actionable guidance.Built for real world payroll professionals
Whether you're a payroll manager, accountant, or bookkeeper, Beryl is designed to provide the information you need in payroll like termination queries, superannuation queries, and long service leave rules.
What Beryl means for payroll professionals
Highest level of trust in every answer: Information is backed by APA's internal research, legislative scrutiny, and the last 50,000 member questions answered, not guesswork.
Tailored for Australia's specific payroll framework: Beryl understands the complexities of tax law, terminations, leave, superannuation, and award interpretation.
Constantly improving: Beryl learns from real payroll queries every day, meaning her responses become richer and are always up to date.
Empowering, not replacing, payroll experts: Beryl frees you from sifting through payroll websites or training documents, letting you focus on creating confidence in your payroll function.
