Enterprise issues - traversing the tightrope paper

Deborah Jenkins

Deborah is Deputy Commissioner, Small Business at the ATO. Deborah also has responsibility for management of the Goods and Service Tax (GST) product for the ATO. As part of Deborah’s role, she has overall responsibility for the small business experience, as well as engaging with, educating, assisting and guiding taxpayers through contemporary products and tailored services. She and her team work in partnership with tax practitioners, business, industry bodies and other organisations to create an environment that supports small business through reducing complexity and increasing the adoption of digital technology. Deborah has national responsibility on behalf of the Commissioner of Taxation for the ATO’s administration of the GST and the relationship with the States and Territories in accordance with the obligations under the Intergovernmental Agreement between Commonwealth government and the State and Territory governments. Approximately 1400 staff across the ATO deal directly with GST including providing client advice, technical advice and delivering compliance programs across all client segments. Deborah was formerly Assistant Commissioner, Indirect Tax looking after interpretative assistance (rulings, advice and guidance) and GST financial services risk. Prior to joining the ATO, Deborah was a partner at an advisory firm where she advised domestic and international clients across all industries on GST related matters. - Current at 30 September 2019

Lachlan Wolfers CTA

Lachlan Wolfers, CTA, is the Global Head of Indirect Taxes for KPMG, and also the Global Head of Data for KPMG Tax & Legal. He is also the National Leader of KPMG Law in Canada. He has over 25 years of experience advising multinational companies on indirect taxes, as well as tax transformation and technology. Lachlan is passionate about the role of indirect taxes in driving developments in the digitalization of the tax function. His recent publications, 'Transforming the in-house tax function through Technology', ‘The Future of Indirect Taxes to 2030‘, ‘The Future of VAT in a Digital World’ and ‘The Future of Generative AI in the Tax Profession’ all seek to provide insights on developments in areas like indirect taxes, how data is managed in the tax function and in the use of technologies to chart a course to the future. Lachlan has a strong sector focus on the digital economy and in the financial services sectors, and acts for many of the largest companies in these sectors, including for industry bodies. Lachlan also has considerable experience in the implementation of VAT/GST systems, having done so in Australia in the year 2000, and in China from 2012 to 2016. In 2020 Lachlan was awarded the Indirect Tax Advisor of the year for the Asia Pacific region by the International Tax Review. Lachlan has a long history of providing support and expertise to policymakers, finance ministries and tax authorities around the world, including in China, Australia and the UK, as well as the OECD. He is admitted as a Solicitor to the Supreme Court of NSW, and is called to the Bar by the Law Society of Ontario. Earlier in his career, Lachlan was the Associate to Justice Keith Mason, President of the NSW Court of Appeal. Lachlan has co-authored the leading textbook on capital gains tax in Australia (with Adjunct Professor Gordon Cooper AM), as well as authoring chapters for textbooks on income tax and GST. He was previously a National Director of the Taxation Institute of Australia. - Current at 19 September 2025