The Claim
“Introduced legislation designed to make gig economy companies like Deliveroo report more tax information about their employees, which was so sloppily written that it means websites for booking doctor appointments would technically be required to ingest details about the patient such as their income, and then give that to the tax office.”
Original Sources Provided
✅ FACTUAL VERIFICATION
The Coalition government did introduce legislation creating a Sharing Economy Reporting Regime (SERR) following a 2017 recommendation from Treasury's Black Economy Taskforce [1]. The Bill was introduced to Parliament at the end of September 2021 and was being reviewed by the Economics Legislation Committee when industry raised concerns [1].
The claim about medical appointment booking platforms is accurately represented based on testimony provided during parliamentary hearings. Tech Council of Australia (TCA) CEO Ashley Moreland testified before the Economics Legislation Committee on October 6, 2021, stating: "To illustrate the breadth of this definition, it includes appointment booking engines for medical practices -- so I have a member health engine, which is a service that allows a patient to find a suitable medical practitioner in the area and book and prepay for that appointment... Now under the proposed legislation, this platform would be caught and that means any GPS or medical service providers offering services via this platform would then become liable by the platform operator to report very detailed and sensitive information, [a patient's] full name, their birthday, their bank account details, their email address, net and gross income." [1]
The Bill as initially drafted applied to "electronic platforms" where services are offered and a buyer accepts and makes a payment for that service - a definition the TCA argued was too broad [1].
Missing Context
However, the claim presents an incomplete picture of what ultimately occurred:
1. The Legislation Was Subsequently Refined
The initial broad definition raised during the October 2021 hearings did NOT remain in the final legislation. The government responded to industry feedback and substantially narrowed the scope. The final SERR that commenced on July 1, 2023, created specific reporting exemptions [2]. Notably, the ATO's guidance on "transactions exempt from reporting under the SERR" includes examples of "mere bookings" - specifically citing taxi booking platforms that only facilitate bookings without payment handling as exempt from reporting [3].
2. Medical Platforms Were Not Ultimately Caught
The final legislation distinguishes between platforms that merely facilitate bookings and platforms where actual services/payments are processed. While the claim implies medical appointment booking platforms would be "required to ingest" patient financial details and report them, the final SERR framework exempts mere booking functions from reporting obligations. This is the opposite of what the claim suggests [3].
3. The SERR Only Applies to Specific Sharing Economy Activities
The final regime is limited to recognized sharing economy activities (rideshare, short-term accommodation, asset hire, food delivery, etc.), not all "electronic platforms" [2]. General service booking platforms fall outside the definition's scope.
Source Credibility Assessment
The ZDNet article is by Campbell Kwan, a tech contributor, and reports on parliamentary committee hearings from the Tech Council of Australia and Deliveroo representatives. The source material (the parliamentary testimony itself) is credible as it comes directly from the official parliamentary committee proceedings [1]. ZDNet is a legitimate technology publication owned by Ziff Davis, not a partisan outlet.
The concern raised was legitimate industry feedback about a broadly-drafted bill. However, the article reports on the proposed bill as it was being considered in October 2021, not the final legislation that was subsequently enacted.
Labor Comparison
Did Labor support or oppose this regime?
While Labor's explicit position during the Coalition's consideration of SERR is not clearly documented in available sources, the fact that the final SERR was implemented and continues to operate under the subsequent Labor government (elected May 2022) indicates Labor accepted the framework [2]. No significant Labor opposition to SERR post-implementation is evident in available records.
The Black Economy Taskforce report that recommended SERR was released in 2017 during the Turnbull Coalition government, but addressing the black economy and improving tax compliance has been a bipartisan concern across multiple governments.
Balanced Perspective
The Valid Concern:
The original claim touches on a real issue that industry raised during parliamentary consultation - the initial bill's definition of "electronic platforms" was indeed very broad and threatened to capture platforms not intended by policymakers [1]. The TCA and Deliveroo's concerns about over-collection of sensitive personal data and compliance costs were legitimate policy feedback [1].
The Resolution:
However, the government took this feedback seriously. The final SERR that was enacted (which became law under the Coalition and remains under Labor) is substantially more targeted than the initially proposed version. The regime now specifically identifies which activities trigger reporting obligations and provides exemptions for "mere bookings" - meaning medical appointment booking platforms that don't process payments would not be caught [3].
Why the Broader Language Was Initially Used:
Policy drafting often uses broad language in exposure drafts to ensure all stakeholders understand the full scope being considered. This is standard practice in Australian legislative drafting - broad bills are refined through consultation before final enactment. The SERR went through this normal process [1], [2].
Key Context:
The government implemented a regime specifically targeted at the sharing economy (rideshare, short-term accommodation, etc.) where participants often operate in a gray area regarding tax obligations [2]. The goal was legitimate - ensuring fair tax treatment across traditional and sharing economy participants. The final implementation is proportionate to this objective [2].
PARTIALLY TRUE
5.5
out of 10
The claim accurately describes the concern raised about the proposed bill in October 2021 - medical appointment booking platforms would have been caught by the initial broad definition [1]. However, the claim misleadingly implies this is what the final legislation does. In reality, the final SERR that was enacted is substantially narrower, specifically exempts "mere bookings," and medical platforms are not caught by the regime [2], [3].
The claim is technically true about the proposed bill but false about the legislation as actually implemented. By presenting this as what the government "introduced" without clarifying that the legislation was substantially revised before enactment, the claim creates a misleading impression of careless drafting that was corrected through the normal legislative process.
Final Score
5.5
OUT OF 10
PARTIALLY TRUE
The claim accurately describes the concern raised about the proposed bill in October 2021 - medical appointment booking platforms would have been caught by the initial broad definition [1]. However, the claim misleadingly implies this is what the final legislation does. In reality, the final SERR that was enacted is substantially narrower, specifically exempts "mere bookings," and medical platforms are not caught by the regime [2], [3].
The claim is technically true about the proposed bill but false about the legislation as actually implemented. By presenting this as what the government "introduced" without clarifying that the legislation was substantially revised before enactment, the claim creates a misleading impression of careless drafting that was corrected through the normal legislative process.
📚 SOURCES & CITATIONS (6)
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1
Industry says Bill seeking to introduce sharing economy reporting regime is too broad
Government is mulling over whether to require electronic platform operators to provide information on transactions for taxation purposes.
ZDNET -
2
Sharing Economy Reporting Regime (SERR)
Ato Gov
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3
Transactions exempt from reporting under the SERR
Ato Gov
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4
Treasury Laws Amendment (2022 Measures No. 2) Bill 2022
Key points The Bill proposes amendments to various taxation and superannuation law to: allow the Commissioner of the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to direct an entity to complete an approved record-keeping cour
Aph Gov -
5
Reporting Regime for Online Marketplaces - PwC
The Australian Sharing Economy Reporting Regime, in effect since 1 July 2023, is set to expand from 1 July 2024 as expected, to include all other online marketplaces beyond just those facilitating supplies of taxi travel or short-term accommodation. These online marketplaces and platform operators should now be finalising their systems and processes to be able to accurately capture and report the required information to the ATO from 1 July 2024, taking into account the current exemptions and keeping a watching brief on the additional ones being proposed.
PwC -
6
What is the SERR? - Australian Taxation Office
Ato Gov
Rating Scale Methodology
1-3: FALSE
Factually incorrect or malicious fabrication.
4-6: PARTIAL
Some truth but context is missing or skewed.
7-9: MOSTLY TRUE
Minor technicalities or phrasing issues.
10: ACCURATE
Perfectly verified and contextually fair.
Methodology: Ratings are determined through cross-referencing official government records, independent fact-checking organizations, and primary source documents.