Why did Walsh Accounting open its doors on a Sunday? Walsh Accounting commenced business on 9 November 1980. It was not even Walsh Accounting at that stage. Here is Lionel’s story. I was Manager of the Barcaldine Hospitals Board in 1980. Marg and I had seven children aged from four to sixteen. Marg had to be a stay at home Mum which was, of course, a full-time job. For example, she had to wash between 90 and 100 items of clothing every day (I counted them). We were therefore a single income family and were nearing the stage when our children would have to go to University if they wanted to continue their studies. There did not seem to be any way that we would be able to pay the costs involved. Early in November 1980, out of the blue, Geoff rang me at the hospital office and asked me if I would like to buy his accounting practice. He also had another full-time job. His accounting practice was a side hustle which he had only started a few months beforehand, so it was very small. Geoff and his wife were leaving town. He wanted $1500 for the practice. Marg and I had a discussion. We agreed that this seemed like a good opportunity to earn extra income. Marg said that she could man the office on weekdays (in addition to her household duties) and I could take interviews and prepare financial statements and tax returns on weekends and in the evenings. We did not have $1500 so I went to the Commonwealth Bank and was granted a loan. We paid Geoff his $1500 and opened to clients on Sunday 9 November 1980. Why a Sunday? Because I was working at the hospital from Monday to Friday. We had to set up on Saturday so Sunday had to be our first day. I was not a registered Tax Agent, so I had to engage a Tax Agent in Brisbane to lodge the returns in his name. His name was Vic Hill and our first business name was A.V. Hill & Associates. Later it became Wilkes and Stewart (accountants in Emerald). Our office was on the top floor of the building now owned by Yachatdac (next to the Radio Theatre) It was difficult trying to look after the children at home while Marg was away from home all day and I was away from home evenings and weekends, so we decided to build an office in our front yard where we would be near the children. This made life somewhat easier. By 1986 we had both been working about 90 hours a week since 1980 and neither we nor the children had had a holiday for seven years. It was unsupportable. We made the decision to leave the Hospital and practice fulltime, which was a scary move as our accounting revenue was only $26,000 per year. I had a commerce degree but I needed more accounting qualifications and Tax Agent registration. I contacted CPA Australia for advice in November 1985 and was told that my last opportunity to gain the necessary qualifications quickly was to attend a full week course in Brisbane and pass an exam. If I missed that, the rules were changing and I would have to do two more years’ study. It was lucky that I inquired in 1985 when we were still thinking about our options. I did the course and successfully applied for Tax Agent registration. My last day working at Barcaldine Hospital was Friday, 4 July 1986. I missed it. I was called to the Department of Health in Brisbane to offer advice on medical services in the West. I was due to fly home in time for my farewell party but the planes were grounded because of fog so by the time I arrived home the party was over. The dirty dishes were still on the verandah. Thus ended one chapter of our lives (after 27 years). A new chapter was beginning.

On 4 November, the Treasury Laws Amendment (Payday Superannuation Bill) 2025 passed parliament. From 1 July 2026, employers will be required to make superannuation contributions for their employees as the same time as they pay their salary or wages. The new law changes the rules about when super must be paid. The current default rules do not change. Importantly, employers still have options if an employee does not have a fund or does not provide the fund details to the employer. For employees, this is very good news. Currently, it is estimated that super guarantee contributions totalling more than $5 billion dollars remain unpaid each year. Under the present quarterly payment system, the ATO is not alerted to unpaid super until 28 days after the end of the quarter and often much later if BASs are lodged late. In some cases, BASs are not lodged for years. Often, the business runs out of cash so the super payments are never made. For employers, it is good news and bad news. The super guarantee has to be paid much earlier than before, which could cause cash flow problems. On the other hand, it is the ultimate budgeting solution. The employer is less likely to pay super guarantee late with resulting penalty and interest payments.