Change has always shaped our profession; what matters is how we respond

Last week, Zoe Lobegeier and I joined bookkeepers, BAS agents and industry partners on the Sunshine Coast for The Bookkeeper Event 2026, hosted by the Australian Bookkeepers Network (ABN). It was a genuine pleasure to spend time with the people who keep small businesses across Australia running.

Day two had a clear thread running through it. Behaviour expert and keynote speaker Anthony Laye kicked things off, reminding us that in a world of AI and constant change, understanding people and building trust remain our greatest advantage. ATO Deputy Commissioner Grant Brodie shared where the ATO is heading with BAS agents. Payday Super got an honest three-month check-in. Other sessions tackled pricing, AI and the shift from historian to strategic financial partner.

The message was consistent. The ground is moving. The real question is what you choose to build on it.

Change Creates Opportunity

A highlight for me was Clayton Oates from QA Business, whose session, “Change Creates Opportunity”, looked at the latest wave of changes shaping our future. Clayton traced the profession’s history of change, from the introduction of GST in 2000 through the reforms that followed. His point was simple but powerful: adapting is something this profession has always done well.

We’ve been here before. The shift from paper to digital fundamentally changed how bookkeepers worked, and AI is simply the next evolution. The real opportunity isn’t in the technology itself, but in how we choose to adapt, evolve and use it to our advantage. – Clayton Oates

What resonated most was the reminder that change itself isn’t the risk. Standing still is. The firms that benefit are the ones that look clearly at what’s shifting and decide early how they’ll respond.

For me, that’s the heart of it. Opportunity rarely arrives neatly labelled. It usually shows up looking like disruption: a new compliance requirement, a client who expects more, or a tool that changes how work gets done.

What this means for firm owners

For small-to-medium bookkeeping and accounting firms, this wave of change lands on an already full plate. Payday Super, the ATO’s integrity focus, Budget measures that may prompt structure reviews and fast-moving AI tools are all arriving while capacity remains tight.

Three things stood out to me:

Capacity comes first. You can’t act on opportunity if your best people are buried in rework. Freeing up time is what makes everything else possible.

Value is moving upstream. As automation absorbs transactional work, clients will value insight, judgement and relationships more, not less.

Adaptability builds firm value. A firm that handles change well is more resilient, more attractive to great people and better placed for whatever comes next, including succession.

Wrapping up a big couple of days

The event program was practical and grounded in the day-to-day realities of running a bookkeeping practice, from payroll and super compliance to pricing and client conversations. The energy in the room, and in the chats between sessions, said a lot about this community.

Bookkeepers sit closer to the real-time financial life of small businesses than almost anyone. They often spot the warning signs first, and they’re adapting quickly as AI and compliance reform reshape their work. Spending time with them was a timely reminder of how much small businesses rely on their expertise.

A big thank you to the ABN organising team for pulling together such a well-run event, and to every speaker, sponsor and delegate who shared their thinking so generously. We’re already looking forward to the next one.

Change is coming either way. The bookkeepers who squeeze the most from it will be the ones who choose their response deliberately.