[OutScribe Steam Press] April 2019

The ABC Four Corners episode 'Mongrel Bunch of Bastards' which focused largely on OutScribe's battle with the ATO was the winning entry to the prestigious 2018 Business News Quill award. Congratulations to Adele Ferguson, Lesley Robinson, Nassim Khadem and Lucy Carter, and a huge thank you to the very brave people who agreed to go public, especially our director Annette Pike whose face seems to have become the go-to image in subsequent press coverage on the issue of the ATO's treatment of small business.

Also, it's important to continue to raise awareness of the injustice against Richard Boyle, the whistleblower who is absurdly facing six life sentences for exposing the corrosive culture within the ATO. A change.org petition was created to show support for Richard and ask the Attorney-General Christian Porter to intervene. It already has over ninety thousand signatures and if you also feel Richard Boyle deserves justice, and the issue of the ATO's culture and integrity needs a greater focus, please sign and share with your colleagues.

Sign The Petition

Clichés, Buzzwords and Hackneyed Phrases

I would like to think that I’m not alone in my reticence to use a cliché or flog an already tired out phrase. Yet here I am trying to put together a sentence which adequately conveys the message that OutScribe is moving forward, looking ahead and planning for the future without using the phrases moving forward, looking ahead and planning for the future. So, let’s just run with it and wring the last vestige of meaning out of them.

We reported last year that OutScribe was in vigorous discussions with the Australian Taxation Office regarding our business model of utilising independent contractors to transcribe your audio files. We were confident in the integrity and suitability of that model versus an employee model and over the last two years have continued to go in to bat not only for ourselves, but also for contractors and micro businesses. The ATO have now closed our file conceding that yes, our business model is compliant and our use of contractors is fair and within the legislation. (high fives all round!) A look around the industry tells us that other companies may not be so well placed.

So, it’s time to move forward and focus on the journey ahead, ensuring that OutScribe continues to offer the competitive and timely service you’ve come to expect. I don’t think I’m the only one who appreciates a service that leaves you with more time to devote to other pressing matters, so over the coming year we intend giving the WorkSpace interface a facelift and refine its features so that your visit to our site is as stress-free and intuitive as possible.

Don’t forget that when you log into your WorkSpace you can leave us a suggestion or tip about how to improve our services. Trust me, we do read them and take note. So why not log in and send us a message – it’s on the left hand side of your home page. Brendan, our IT huru-guru, isn’t averse to a good red wine suggestion as well!