Australian Bookkeepers Network

10/10/2026

An action packed afternoon here for The Bookkeeper Event!

Ross Heron, CEO of the Australian Payroll Association, showed how to turn it into a deliberate, premium offering. He drew on his own experience building a payroll outsourcing business and taking it through to a successful exit.

Kellie Powell and Kelvin Deer had the room working together to turn their takeaways into a simple action plan before anyone heads home 🌴

10/10/2026

Another couple of incredible sessions before we headed out to lunch at The Bookkeeper Event! 🌴

ABN Director Kelvin Deer took us up the AI Opportunity Ladder.
He mapped out where AI can safely fit inside a BAS practice, starting with simple productivity gains and working up to new services for clients.

David Cowling shared the framework he's leaned on across 25 years and three businesses, for the moments when change forces the question.

ABA Directors Kerrie Jarius and Peter Thorp sat down for a fireside chat on the changes and challenges hitting the profession.
They also talked through the issues they're raising on your behalf in government forums.

10/10/2026

Such a great first couple of sessions for Day 3!

We’ve started the day with breakout sessions, and there was some fantastic learning happening!

Room 1 started the day with a good question from Cassandra Scott of XBert.
If your workflows already know what's in your clients' books, how much time are you saving? And what are you really worth?

Over in Room 2, Dale Dixon and Leanne Berry from our Gold Partner MYOB tackled the stress of BAS.

Back in Room 1, Hank de Jonge from de Jonge Read walked through six ATO documents of distress, from the first warning to the point where personal assets are on the line.

In Room 2, Rutland Smith from Harvey Norman Technology for Business ran live demos on briefing AI properly and connecting it safely to live data like Xero, then walked the room through building a first AI agent.

09/10/2026

09/10/2026

🌴📚 Learning, connecting & growing!

I’m on the Sunshine Coast attending the ABN Bookkeeper Event! ☀️

It’s been great to connect with other bookkeepers, learn new things and get fresh ideas to bring back to Mel-Balanced Bookeeping.

Running your own business is all about continually learning, building relationships and finding ways to better support your clients. 💻✨

And getting to do it all on the Sunshine Coast makes it even better! 🌊

09/10/2026

09/10/2026

09/10/2026

Australian Bookkeepers Network The Bookkeeper Event Day 1 — Expo day ✅

Some great presentations, plenty of good takeaways and lots of things to bring home to our clients!

Now we’re ready to head into Days 2 & 3 and see what else we can learn. 🙌📚

09/10/2026

What a way to finish Day 2! 🌴

Straight after lunch, ABN Directors Darren Hagarty and Peter Thorp got into the Federal Budget.

Sonya Prosper from Prosper in Business then showed how bookkeepers can use the financial visibility they already have to move into cash flow forecasting and higher-value work with clients.

To round out the day, Cassandra Scott took the stage to talk fixed fees and packaged services, and how to price for the value you bring.

We also got to recognise some of our long-standing members 🧡

What an INCREDIBLE, jam-packed day! 🌴

09/10/2026

Riley James from our Platinum Partner Xonboard shared three months of post-Payday Super data on stapling and employer readiness, so everyone could see how their experience stacks up.

Then we heard from Grant Brodie, Deputy Commissioner of Taxation (Intermediaries and Individuals), walked us through where the ATO is heading with its 2026–30 strategy.

And before heading off to lunch, Rachelle King and Josie Armao from our Platinum Partner Beam took stock of the most common issues they're seeing with employers, along with practical ways to fix them and the latest Beam updates!