NSW’s Hunter region will play host to a new eInvoicing hub, designed to help local businesses boost their efficiency and combat scams.

The hub, a collaboration between the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and local business groups, aims to help educate local businesses about the benefits of eInvoicing, which is a new standardised way to send and receive digital invoices via a secure network.

The businesses can use the network via their existing accounting software and applications.

eInvoicing, which is also part of the Government’s framework to better protect small enterprises against scams, enables faster payments and has in-built security which helps to reduce the risk of invoice fraud.

More than 33,000 businesses are registered for eInvoicing in Australia, including Bunnings, Woolworths and BOC Gas, and over 400,000 eInvoices have been delivered on the network.

Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services Stephen Jones said the Government wants to create opportunities, with the support of local business groups, for local trading partners to exchange eInvoices and “unlock the benefits of the technology”.

Following this, engagement activities would continue across the region in the lead-up to and during NSE Small Business Month over October.