Links

You'll find the following links useful if you are starting a new business or reinventing an existing one.

Business Names and Company Info
Register now for your Australian Business Number (ABN). You can do it online at http://www.business.gov.au/- remember to have your tax file number handy

To find out more about Taxation and GST, go to the The Australian Tax Office's website at http://www.ato.gov.au/

The Australian Securities Commission is especially good for checking business names and basic company information: http://www.asc.gov.au/

Business names in South Australia are registered at the Office of Consumer and Business Affairs (Ground Floor, Chesser House, 91 Grenfell Street, Adelaide) You can't register online, but you can register by post or in person.  Details are on the website at: http://www.ocba.sa.gov.au/

Registering Business Names
To register a company on line, have a look at http://www.incorporator.com.au/  Also a useful resource for deciding what company structure you should establish.

Competitors
Yellow Pages is the Ideal place to check if anyone else has already thought of your idea, and to research competitors: http://www.yellowpages.com.au/

Licensing and Doing Business in SA
The South Australian Government's Business Channel has information on licensing and doing business in South Australia: http://www.businesschannel.sa.gov.au/

Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is excellent for researching the broader market: http://www.abs.gov.au/

Employing People
If you're employing people, the Employment Relations Information Centre has wage rate sheets (free) and details of the various state awards. There are also links to the Federal awards; http://www.eric.sa.gov.au/

E-commerce
If you want information on setting up websites, e-commerce, or indeed anything to do with doing business electronically have a look athttp://www.e-businessguide.gov.au/

Intellectual Property
For information about intellectual property check out http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/

Small Businesses now have a new tool to help them manage their patents, trademarks and other valuable intellectual property (IP) assets.  Intellectual Property Explorer is a free online tool that:

- introduces IP concepts in plain English

- provides a step by step guide to reviewing IP assets         including copyright, patents, trademarks and designs

- gives practical advice on how to avoid commercial risks, which could result in costly legal proceedings with employees or third parties.
http://www.intellectualpropertyexplorer.com