The last thing you would expect to see in the highest halls of power in the Australian Taxation Office, situated on level 10 looking out across Canberra city, is a Hello Kitty doll. But there she is, perched proudly in a glass display cabinet swathed in an elaborate kimono.
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A little-known fact about the Australian Tax Commissioner, Michael D'Ascenzo: he is in possession of more knick-knacks than most people's grandmothers.
Great long glass display cabinets line the walls of the hallway leading to his office, only giving way to even larger glass cabinets behind his desk that house all manner of souvenirs, including a replica of the key to Robben Island maximum security prison in Cape Town South Africa - the prison where Nelson Mandela was held. The key was a gift from a South African delegation.
There is also an elaborate sword, a gift from Indonesia.
D'Ascenzo is now in the habit of doing what he can to discourage any more gifts, but they have been amassed by the ATO as tokens of thanks from other nations for Australia's habit of sharing information about the way our taxation system works.
''Australia has a high rate of compliance,'' D'Ascenzo said. ''Australia is put forward as a leading tax administration in the world.
''We get a lot of delegations visiting us. The Dutch were here about a week and a half ago and they stayed for a week.''
They also left a gift, but it wasn't clogs or a windmill and the Commissioner is not volunteering any more information on the subject.
''We had the UK here as well, we try to encourage information rather than gifts. We give them our knowledge and expertise.''
When pressed, the Commissioner concedes that Australia does reciprocate on some occasions.
''Sometimes we have a gift - sometimes a small boomerang or another knick-knack,'' he said.
A close inspection of D'Ascenzo's attire reveals the knick-knacks are not entirely constrained by the display cabinets.
His metal cuff links have Japanese character symbols on them: they are a souvenir from a tax conference in 1987.
They have little monetary value, but marked a special time in D'Ascenzo's career and of Australia's broadening of its links to Asia.
He likes to have the mementos around because they symbolise how the Australian system is regarded internationally.
However, D'Ascenzo said that simply opening the books on the Australian model did not provide a cure-all for the rest of the world's problems on tax collection.
''We have a high rate of compliance in Australia which is surprising from a convict start, but we find the responsibility to tax and superannuation is reasonably well abided by in this country and the vast majority of people try to do the right thing,'' he said.
''I think the system is effective and of high integrity.
''Some other countries are beset by cultural problems and corruption or distrust of the government generally. We try to maintain that trust and confidence and I think that pays out to high levels of compliance. It is part of the ATO's business to try to support people who do the right thing.''
Indeed, the ATO won praise from private tax practitioners for its approach to businesses during the Global Financial Crisis, which, much like the knick-knacks, went straight on display.
Contained in the 2009-10 annual report is a letter of thanks from Curt Rendall, a senior partner at Rendall Kelly Chartered Accountants and member of the Board of Taxation.
''Without the far sighted proactive work the ATO undertook there would have been carnage in the small and medium enterprise sector,'' he said.
''The ATO stepped up to the plate and delivered in a way we in the sector never ever imagined they would. They were helping businesses up and down the scale.
''To me it went beyond business handouts and extra deductions for expenses - it was real help and it continues today.''
During the global economic downturn, the ATO introduced 12- month interest-free payment arrangements for small businesses with an annual turnover under $2 million.
An independent evaluation by a research agency found the interest-free payment arrangements had made the difference between some viable small businesses continuing to trade rather than having to close their doors.
D'Ascenzo said the tax office went to considerable lengths to try to keep businesses afloat if the operators were trying to comply with the law, but took a much firmer line with businesses and individuals who tried to rort the system.
That was how Project Wickenby was born, the headline-grabbing project linking eight government agencies and drawing on international cooperation to snare big targets.
It caught some big names including music industry heavyweight Glenn Wheatley, who was jailed.
D'Ascenzo said funding for Wickenby had been extended for another two years in the last budget. It has uncovered nearly $1.3 billion in tax liabilities, surpassing the targets that were set down for the project when the government signed off on its creation in 2006.
''There were significant concerns about the flow of income and wealth being hidden offshore,'' he said.
''It was a question of trying to send a clear message that this type of behaviour is un-Australian and it's risky and the Commonwealth will work hard to ensure it is dealt with.''
But it hasn't been all clear sailing for Wickenby and D'Ascenzo won't discuss high-profile actor Paul Hogan.
There are no Crocodile Dundee knick-knacks in his collection.
