MessageXchange: Australian Govt. sends first ever e-invoice

MessageXchange is an Australian cloud service and software developer that specialises in B2B information exchange platforms.

According to MessageXchange, the cloud service company processes more than 100 million messages a year, encompassing transactions that underpin some Australian companies such as Target, Harvey Norman, Costco, Australia Post and Telstra.

And now, MesssageXchange has added the Australian Federal Government and Digital Business Council to the list.

In a recent announcement, MessageXchange reveals they are working with the Australian Federal Government and Digital Business Council to demonstrate successful eInvoicing transactions under the new proposed Australian standard.

The Department of Industry, Innovation and Science's chief operating officer, Michael Schwager, comments, "eInvoicing will deliver benefits to our suppliers, including grant recipients, but it will also allow the department to streamline its internal accounts payable processes.

"These in turn will generate efficiencies and improve the timeliness of payments to suppliers.

The new Australian eInvoicing standard has been created through a collaboration between Government and Industry, led by the Digital Business Council.

The Council was founded in 2015 to develop the adoption of digital standards in Australia.

Members of the Council include the Australian Taxation Office, Australian Government Department of Finance, NSW Government Department Finance, and the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA).

Other members include industry bodies such as the Australian Business Software Industry Association (ABSIA), the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) and Chartered Accounts (CA ANZ).

Peter Strong, CEO, Council of Small Business Australia, says, "eInvoicing is a transformational step in Australia's digital business movement to a streamlined, integrated and productive economy, and is an exciting step forward especially for the small business community.

"The Council is especially pleased to see Government at the forefront of digital transformation," Strong adds.

In Australia, usually eInvoicing and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) technologies are predominantly used by supply chains of large companies.

However, this trend changing with the adoption of these processes by the Australian Government.

This collaboration between the private sector and the Australian Government, achieved through the Council, could led to the establishment of regulation, industry standardisation and mechanisms that instil trust in the eInvoicing framework.

The Australian Government's Department of Industry, Innovation and Science used MessageXchange to securely deliver a test e-invoice to a grant recipient.

The e-invoice was the first of its kind to be sent by an Australian Government department.