Rob Heferen commenced as Australia’s Commissioner of Taxation in March 2024. Rob has over 35 years’ experience in the Australian Public Service. His career spans across policy development and program delivery in varied portfolios, and he has represented Australia in international forums including the United Nations, the International Energy Agency and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Rob is regarded as one of the nation’s most experienced tax experts, and for almost two decades his interest and expertise in economics and tax policy has led to senior executive roles at the Australian Taxation Office and Commonwealth Treasury. Rob holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Tasmania, and a Graduate Diploma of Economics from the Australian National University.
Can you tell us a bit about how you came to study at the University of Tasmania?
Being a born and bred Tasmanian – born in Hobart and raised in Deloraine – attending the University of Tasmania was a given. Like any 18-year-old, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, except that I wanted to do something. I knew there was a niggling in the back of my brain to stretch my understanding of the world, but I wasn’t sure where my place was. UTAS offered me what I needed – a strong tertiary education, a diverse peer group, and all in my home state. I had originally planned to complete a science degree, and study maths and philosophy, but very soon changed to an arts/law degree. Philosophy was my thing. Maths was not.
What were the highlights of your time at the University?
I met my wonderful wife, Toni, while studying, so you could say I started to build my family at UTAS.
I was a resident of Christ College for my undergraduate degree, and President in my third year. I was fortunate to have Don McNicol as my lecturer for first-year psychology – he would end up being the best lecturer I ever had, and he went on to become Vice-Chancellor. Psychology didn’t end up being my passion, but I remember then-Professor McNicol using each lecture to clearly articulate a key element of behavioural psychology and research in an engaging way (with the use of an overhead projector, of course!).
I remember many of my Law lecturers and professors fondly. They were an eclectic bunch back in the ‘80s, and sometimes their eccentricities overshone what they were teaching us. But what I learnt from them was that law is a practical, not academic, exercise. It is an exercise in problem-solving, with the consideration of precedent, requiring a different way of thinking to maths or philosophy.
The everyday at UTAS was also a highlight – walking through the heavily-graffitied underpass under Churchill Avenue that took us from the main campus to the pub; the common rooms filled with students during winter; and playing rugby in the freezing cold.
Where have your University of Tasmania qualifications taken you?
I ended my time at the University with a BA/LLB and Honours in Philosophy, which got me into the graduate stream for the Australian Customs Service and then shortly afterward the Australian Taxation Office (and a relocation to Canberra). These roles were the start of my public service career, which has also entailed significant time at Treasury and more recently the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Looking back, I could arguably draw a straight line from my UTAS degrees to my current role as Commissioner of Taxation. My studies in philosophy, with Professors Bill Joske and Frank White, have also provided a strong basis for my career. Philosophy is understanding the limits in knowledge and comprehension, and grappling with the importance of curiosity. I learned that there is always a lot more unknown than known, and that has been vital for my career in public service.
What does your current role involve?
In March 2024 I commenced as the Commissioner of Taxation, the statutory head of the Australian Taxation Office. This is a relatively unique Australian Public Service leadership role. Most APS agencies are in the business of advising Government and implementing programs, which all involve the spending of public money. Very few involve the raising of money, which is what the ATO is almost wholly involved in. As a leader of a public service agency of 20,000 employees, I consider it an important part of my role to ensure that integrity – honesty, accountability and authenticity – permeate our interactions with taxpayers and our partners in the tax system.
What goals do you have for the future?
I’d like to continue the ATO’s long tradition as an effective tax administration who collect tax fairly and comprehensively. In tax we have a concept of the ‘tax gap’ – the gap between what tax should be paid if everyone was fully compliant, and the amount actually collected. One of my goals is to sustainably reduce the tax gap across all our markets. While 100 per cent compliance might be a utopia, my hope is that we can decrease the gap year on year.
I would also like the ATO to be an employer of choice – a place where expertise and perspective is valued, as is integrity and good communication. I want to make sure that when people join the ATO they have the support and opportunity to be the best public servant they can be.
Personally, I look forward to seeing my kids (now young adults) continue to be curious and courageous in challenging the status quo – just as I learned to be as a UTAS student.
This story first appeared in Law Alumni News.