Opening Keynote

The Evolution in Bookkeeping 2025 & Pay Day Super

Presenter: Matthew Addison, ICB

Thriving in a Changing Profession: Unlocking New Opportunities

Presenter: Sam Allert, Reckon CEO

Join Sam to discover how you can harness change as a force for growth, keep client relationships central, and truly thrive in the future of bookkeeping.

Yesterday a Bookkeeper, Today an Advisor

Presenter: Katie Williams

Ten years ago, we worried tech would take our jobs. Instead, it changed them; and us. In this session, Katie unpacks how bookkeepers have moved from data entry to data insight, from compliance to connection. We’ll explore what “advisory” really means (and why it doesn’t have to be scary) and reflect on how you already play that role for your clients every day.

The Insolvency Landscape: Trends and Expectations for the Future

Presenter: Stephen Dixon

Stephen Dixon, Managing Partner of HM Advisory, provides an informed overview of Australia’s evolving insolvency landscape, examining key trends shaping the sector today and what bookkeepers can expect in the years ahead.
This presentation explores the economic pressures driving insolvency appointments, the growing role of bookkeepers in identifying early warning signs, and the practical steps businesses can take to safeguard their futures. The session highlights common pitfalls for companies and opportunities for bookkeepers to better support clients through uncertainty.
Attendees will gain valuable insights into how insolvency is shifting in practice, and how early engagement with insolvency specialists can be the difference between recovery and shut-down of a business.

Everything is about burnout these days……or is it?

Facilitator:
Greg Jenning, Beyond Blue Chief Engagement Officer

Panellists:
Amanda Linton
Peta Sitcheff
Cate Kemp

Burnout is dominating the mental health landscape conversation. But the risk is that burnout becomes the default answer to everything we feel we’re dealing with. Mis-diagnosis can be just as impacting as no diagnosis.
Let’s not forget looking after our mental health is a broader conversation.

Harvey Norman Technology for Business

Staying Secure and Smart: Technology Trends Every Bookkeeper Should Know

Presenter: Rutland Smith

In today’s digital-first world, bookkeepers are not just managing ledgers — they’re safeguarding their clients’ most sensitive financial data. This engaging session explores the latest cyber security threats facing Australian bookkeeping practices, from phishing and ransomware to data breaches and AI-driven scams.
We’ll unpack the technology trends transforming the profession, and the cyber risks that come with them. You’ll learn what practical steps you can take to protect client data, meet legal obligations under the Privacy Act, and align with the ACSC Essential Eight framework.

eInvoicing and Mandates

Presenter: Samantha Coloe

The ATO acting as the Australian Peppol Authority will be discussing the urgency of eInvoicing.
Peppol eInvoicing is the electronic data interchange of invoice information that offers big savings in payment processing. It also offers substantial cyber security benefits, faster payments and easier reporting.
In response to recommendations in the recent Statutory Review of the Payment Times Reporting Act 2020, the Government agreed to mandate the use of Peppol eInvoicing as the default channel for invoicing in procurement starting with Business-to-Government. If Australia follows the trend of other countries a B2B mandate may shortly follow.
Today over 1.5m Aussie organisations have access to Peppol eInvoicing within their existing software, and over 400,000 organisations are registered to receive eInvoices.
Why not get ahead of the curve for your organization, learn what it entails and what the potential benefits can be?

2025 Updates to Australian IR including:

• Right to Disconnect
• Casual Conversion
• Independent Contracting – Defn Employee v Contractor

Presenter:
Mike Sommerton, Head - Industrial Relations Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia

**ICB

What we do matters, your voice has impact

Presenter: Rob Marshall

In today’s rapidly evolving compliance and economic landscape, the role of professional bookkeepers in Australia has never been more critical. And despite the doomsayers suggesting AI will replace Bookkeepers ... and as Australia continues to recover from global disruptions and adapt to new economic realities, the facts simply stand up that the expertise, reliability, and strategic value of professional bookkeepers are more relevant than at any other time in our history.
This session takes a deep dive into looking at why Professional Bookkeepers complete a role inside Australia that cannot be replaced and in fact is being acknowledged more and more by Government and Regulators as more and more important than ever. Simply, it is not 'the end of Bookkeepers' as some may say, it is in reality a 'time to thrive'. This session will be full of tips, facts and suggestions as to how that can be your reality.

ICB

The World of Business Gifts & Functions

Presenter: Pauline Walton

Business gifts and functions—especially around times such as Christmas- raise questions about deductibility, FBT, and claiming of GST. This session explores how these expenses are treated under ATO guidelines. Whether these expenses are deductible for business owners depends on whether they attract Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT), qualify as minor benefits (under $300), and whether GST is claimable. The location, attendees, and cost also affect how they are treated. Understanding the circumstances and seeking confirmation from the Tax Agent helps the business to report correctly.

Insurance Made Easy

Understanding your insurance obligations and options, including the how and what Cyber Insurances covers.

Presenter: James GIllard

National AI Centre

Presenter: Beth Worrall

In October 2025, the National AI Centre (NAIC) released new guidance for AI adoption and governance. In addition to practical advice, this guidance includes free templates to support organisations in their AI implementation journey.
To provide an overview of this new guidance, please join Beth Worrall from NAIC. Beth will provide a quick overview of the guidance and touch on the relevant options and opportunities for book-keepers.

**MYOB Partner Presentation

The AI Powered Bookkeeper

Presenters:
Dale Dixon
Leanne Berry

Step into The AI Powered Bookkeeper - a fastpaced, fearfree tour of how rapidly changing technology is reshaping bookkeeping and how you can use it to win. We’ll demystify AI, spotlight proven tools, and map out simple rollout paths for your practice. From quickwin chat assistants to workflowdriving agents that automate repetitive tasks. Expect practical prompts, real-world examples, and adoption tips you can action immediately, plus a clear lens on governance and policies so you can innovate safely and confidently. Whether you’re AIcurious or ready to scale, this session will help you unlock capacity, elevate advisory, and turbocharge your practice.

Facilitator: Matthew Addison

Presenter:
Claire Miller, Deputy Commissioner, ATO Digital Delivery

What the ATO has done and is planning to do to make it easier and more secure to work with them.

It’s time for the Certificate IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping Review.
Hear about the current findings, process and first steps of the review and have a voice into the Needs & Gaps Analysis to kick off this important project.

2025 Updates to Australian IR including:

• Right to Disconnect
• Casual Conversion
• Independent Contracting – Defn Employee v Contractor

Presenter:
Mike Sommerton, Head - Industrial Relations Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia

Facilitator:
Rob Marshall

Panellists:
Rutland Smith, HNTB
James Gillard, IME

Synopsis:
Join the team for a fireside chat on the latest in cyber protections and security. From education to insurance, safeguards to risks, and with key ICB partners, we’ll discuss the real-world practicalities of cyber.

** TOA Global

Capability Mapping for the Future

Presenter: Mareta Akari

As the bookkeeping industry evolves, agility is key to staying competitive. This session explores how businesses and firms can map future capabilities and embed agility into behaviours, culture, and talent strategies. Discover how to stay ahead of shifting client needs, tech disruption, and talent expectations with a more responsive and future-ready workforce plan.

Day 2 Opening Keynote

The State of Small and Family Business in Australia

Guest Speaker: Bruce Billson

When everything’s changing—your pricing should too.
Bookkeepers are facing pressure from all sides: rising regulation, shifting client expectations, new tech, and the constant fear of being replaced by AI. But what if those same forces were the key to a better, more profitable practice?
In this powerful and interactive session, Cassandra Scott (Practice Specialist at XBert) helps you flip the script. You’ll learn how to move beyond hourly pricing models, use practice intelligence to regain control, and adopt AI-enhanced workflows that increase your value—not threaten it.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Attendees will:
Recognise pricing as a strategic lever for margin, wellbeing, and growth
Understand how to shift from reactive to confident pricing using data
Discover how AI and practice intelligence can support—not replace—their role
Be equipped to navigate scope creep and undervaluation with structure
Leave with a renewed sense of professional identity and control

The future of bookkeeping is about more than just automation; it's about client connection. Join Xero's Angad Soin to discuss building the firm you want by developing your own strategic vision and solidifying your role as a vital, end-to-end business partner for your clients.

A Business Owner’s Perspective

Supporting yourself and your clients, through the impacts of perimenopause/menopause

Facilitator: Cate Kemp – Small Business Financial Ops (SBFO)

Let's open a conversation around this human experience that can sometimes have a devastating effect on business owners, whether it's your business or your clients'.  This session is for EVERYONE, certainly not just for women 35+.  (yep, 35!)  We'll share some stories, and more importantly some resources on how you can recognise what may be going on, and seek support for yourself or your clients' before the damage is done.

You Said It, We Built It: The Power of Customer-Driven Innovation

Presenter: Michelle Bridgford

In the fast-changing world of accounting software, our partners are our most valuable source of insight. You Said It, We Built It highlights how customer feedback directly shapes Reckon's product ro meaningful impact for accountants and businesses alike. This is more than a product update. It is a representation of partnership, agility, and the relentless pursuit of better solutions. Because when our customers speak, we don’t just take notes. We take action.

** TOA Global

Capability Mapping for the Future

Presenter: Mareta Akari

As the bookkeeping industry evolves, agility is key to staying competitive. This session explores how businesses and firms can map future capabilities and embed agility into behaviours, culture, and talent strategies. Discover how to stay ahead of shifting client needs, tech disruption, and talent expectations with a more responsive and future-ready workforce plan.

**MYOB partner presentation

The AI Powered Bookkeeper

Presenters:
Dale Dixon
Leanne Berry

Step into The AI Powered Bookkeeper - a fastpaced, fearfree tour of how rapidly changing technology is reshaping bookkeeping and how you can use it to win. We’ll demystify AI, spotlight proven tools, and map out simple rollout paths for your practice. From quickwin chat assistants to workflowdriving agents that automate repetitive tasks. Expect practical prompts, real-world examples, and adoption tips you can action immediately, plus a clear lens on governance and policies so you can innovate safely and confidently. Whether you’re AIcurious or ready to scale, this session will help you unlock capacity, elevate advisory, and turbocharge your practice.

We take a tour of best practice client onboarding using the 2Shakes platform, including an electronic Engagement Letter, BAS Agent Authority and Biometric Identity Verification. We also explain the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) legislation coming in from mid-2026, and how 2Shakes can help you comply with that too.

Intro to the New Payments Platform & Alternatives to the SBSCH

Presenter: Matthew Addison

As the Small Business Super Clearing House closes what are the options we should consider.  What is the journey for our employers?
The New Payments Platform replaces the current payment channels used by banks.   An introduction to the features of the new payments platform and what it might mean for bookkeepers

Profitmaster Global Outsourcing

The Risks of Hiring Offshore Directly

Facilitator:
Paul Jansz

Panellists:
Richard Croaker
Rebecca Fahey

Hiring offshore team members directly—without the support of a vetted provider or local compliance partner—can expose your business to serious risks, especially with the recent upheld decision by the Fair Work Commission that Contractors hired directly could be deemed Employees.

While offshoring can offer cost-effective access to talent, direct hiring often skips essential due diligence, including legal contracts, data protection standards, and a local employer, providing the employer of record & payroll services.

This creates vulnerabilities in cybersecurity, as offshore hires may access sensitive systems without the appropriate security protocols in place, and may be exposed to data breaches, phishing attacks, or compromised client information.

Accuracy is paramount in accountancy. Correctly detecting fraudulent behaviour is becoming increasingly tricky. Both have huge business impact.
Find out how TRAILD can eliminate 85% of manual processing costs in AP and protect every payment with AI-enable anomaly detection.

** The Bookkeepers Academy

Breaking the Income Ceiling & Building a 7 Figure Bookkeeping Firm

Presenter: Martine Hoosen

ICB

Dare to Think Differently;  Becoming The Future Fit Bookkeeper

Presenter: Amanda Linton

What does the Future of Bookkeeping look like, and what opportunities exist for us to build the next generation?

Cyber Wardens

Bring your Device
It’s time to understand & complete Cyber Wardens Foundations together.

Presenter: Carolynne Hamilton, Project Manager

What we do matters, your voice has impact

Presenter: Rob Marshall

In today’s rapidly evolving compliance and economic landscape, the role of professional bookkeepers in Australia has never been more critical. And despite the doomsayers suggesting AI will replace Bookkeepers ... and as Australia continues to recover from global disruptions and adapt to new economic realities, the facts simply stand up that the expertise, reliability, and strategic value of professional bookkeepers are more relevant than at any other time in our history.
This session takes a deep dive into looking at why Professional Bookkeepers complete a role inside Australia that cannot be replaced and in fact is being acknowledged more and more by Government and Regulators as more and more important than ever. Simply, it is not 'the end of Bookkeepers' as some may say, it is in reality a 'time to thrive'. This session will be full of tips, facts and suggestions as to how that can be your reality.

ICB

The World of Business Gifts & Functions

Presenter: Pauline Walton

Business gifts and functions—especially around times such as Christmas- raise questions about deductibility, FBT, and claiming of GST. This session explores how these expenses are treated under ATO guidelines. Whether these expenses are deductible for business owners depends on whether they attract Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT), qualify as minor benefits (under $300), and whether GST is claimable. The location, attendees, and cost also affect how they are treated. Understanding the circumstances and seeking confirmation from the Tax Agent helps the business to report correctly.