The council is using software from Aurion Corp. Pty Ltd. for HR, which was chosen because a lot of councils use it and many people are familiar with the software.

Independent HR consultant Michael Specht said over the last seven years the HR-XML Consortium has worked to develop standards covering all manner of data exchange scenarios within HR-Payroll.

"Where HR-XML adds value is multiple partners needs to exchange data on ad hoc, near real-time basis, such as job boards," Specht said. "As HR automates more processes that have multiple partners, or a real-time requirement support for HR-XML, the associated Web services will also increase."

Specht said a lack of local vendor support and actual working implementations is limiting HR-XML's support in Australia.

"It can be easy to convince vendors to develop standards, but it is very difficult to get the same vendors to implement these standards in their products [because] self-interest can get in the way," he said. "Once a critical mass has been reached, support for HR-XML will move from being a check box in a tender document to being the dominate method of moving data between systems."