Tax Yak Podcast by TaxBanter

Knowing your obligations is one thing but implementing effective cyber security strategies is where many firms struggle. 

In this episode of TaxYak, Senior Tax Trainer George Housakos is joined by Caillin Goss, Jen Pascarl and Jacques Louw from Priority Networking and Greg Gardiner from Count. 

That’s why in this session, we will walk through a practical framework built around 20 key questions designed to test your firm’s cyber security posture. 

These questions cover areas such as: 

• Governance and accountability 
• Staff awareness and training 
• Access controls and identity management 
• Backup and disaster recovery 
• Incident response planning 
• Vendor and third-party risk 
• And ongoing monitoring and improvement 

When these strategies and controls are successfully implemented, they don’t just help protect your business, they also support your ability to meet increasingly onerous compliance requirements. 

Think of this as a health check for your firm’s cyber maturity: a way to identify gaps, prioritise actions, and build a more resilient and secure operating environment. 

And as mentioned earlier, if you’d like a copy of our Cyber Security Checklist to support this process, please feel free to contact Cailin Goss at PNET. 

Accounting and wealth advisory firms are increasingly prime targets for cyber criminals. You’re holding highly sensitive financial and personal information, and attackers know that even a small vulnerability can have serious consequences - not just financially, but reputationally as well. 

In recent years, we’ve seen a significant increase in phishing attacks, ransomware, data breaches and business email compromise impacting professional services firms. At the same time, regulatory expectations around data protection and cyber resilience continue to rise. 

In this episode of TaxYak, Senior Tax Trainer George Housakos is joined by Caillin Goss, Jen Pascarl and Jacques Louw from Priority Networking and Greg Gardiner from Count. 

This podcast is the first in a two part Cyber Security Series. This session focuses on the key statutory and regulatory requirements firms need to be aware of, including privacy obligations, data security expectations, and what “reasonable steps” actually means in practice. 

This session will also unpack some of the most common questions we hear from accounting and wealth advisory firms, such as: 

• What are my legal obligations if there’s a data breach? 
• How far does my responsibility extend when using cloud providers and third-party platforms? 
• What does the regulator expect in terms of governance, documentation and controls? 
• And how do I balance compliance with practical, day-to-day operations? 

Our aim is to give you clarity on your obligations, highlight where firms typically fall short, and help you understand why cyber security is no longer just an IT issue - it’s a core business risk. 

In this episode of Tax Yak, Tiffany Douglas chats with colleague George Housakos, senior tax trainer at TaxBanter, about a significant issue facing the tax profession from 1 July 2025: taxpayers will no longer be able to claim an income tax deduction for ATO interest charges.

The Full Federal Court’s Bendel decision has sent ripples through the tax community – but does it really mean Division 7A no longer applies to UPEs?

In this episode, we unpack FCT v Bendel, what it means for UPE strategies in 2024 and 2025, the ATO’s possible next steps, and wider risks for tax agents and advisers.

Don't get caught off guard. Stay ahead of the curve and understand what this landmark case really means for you and your clients.