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Useful Websites

 

 

Useful Websites

Business Start-Up    
     
business.gov.au   
Government service providing information on planning, starting and running your business.
Business plan template:    www.business.gov.au/businessplan
     
Small Business NSW   www.smallbiz.nsw.gov.au  
The NSW Government website for people starting, running or growing a small business. Useful small business toolkit, including steps to starting a business and checklists, loan finder. 
     
Department of Fair Trading   Phone: 13 32 20
Download forms to register business names.  www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au
Business Licence Information Service (information & forms for licences and certificates). blis.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au
     
Australian Business Register   www.abr.gov.au
Apply for an ABN, TFN, GST, PAYG. Search for an ABN using ABN Lookup.
     
Australian Securities & Investments Commission www.asic.gov.au
Setting up and registering a company, compliance and reporting, raising funds, takeovers, insolvency and deregistering a company. Search ASIC registers for Company and Business names. 
     
Digital Business www.digitalbusiness.gov.au
Want to get your business or community organisation online, but don’t know where to start? Need some help with your transition to e-commerce? Or do you just want practical advice about the internet and what it means for your organisation? digitalbusiness.gov.au provides information that may assist you.
     
Product and Publication Listing www.becsmallbiz.com.au
     
Domain Names & Web Hosting  
     
If you are a sole trader, have a state registered business name or a registered company, you can register a .au domain name. Registrars offer services in addition to domain registration e.g. web and email hosting, and have differing prices (.com.au domains from around $35 for 2 years).
     
WHOIS Domain Search tool   www.mywebname.com.au
Check if an .au domain name is available. Once you have chosen the domain name you want, you need to contact a registrar to register the name.
     
Australian Domain Name Administrator (auDA) www.auda.org.au
Read auDA’s policy on domain name eligibility and allocation and search for an auDA accredited registrar. 
     
Website Creation   www.wordpress.org
A free, easy to use web publishing platform and self-hosted blogging tool. www.weebly.com
     
Employing Staff     
     
Fair Work Australia   www.fairwork.gov.au
The national workplace relations tribunal that covers: the safety net of minimum wages & employment conditions, enterprise bargaining, industrial action, dispute resolution, termination of employment and other workplace matters.
     
Employee or Contractor   www.ato.gov.au

This guide provides information to help payers determine whether their workers (payees) are employees or independent contractors (for example, an individual, partnership, trust or company).

     
WorkCover   www.workcover.nsw.gov.au
WorkCover promotes workplace health and safety, and provides a workers’ compensation system for the employers and workers of NSW.
     
General Business Resources  
     
ABN Lookup   www.abn.business.gov.au
Access to the publicly available information provided by businesses when they register for an Australian Business Number (ABN). 
     
AusIndustry   www.ausindustry.gov.au 
Commonwealth Government agency for supporting industry research and innovation.   Phone: 13 28 46
     
Ausinvent   www.ausinvent.com
The NSW Government's online Innovation Advisory Service, helping inventors and innovators build on their ideas.
     
Australian Taxation Office   www.ato.gov.au/businesses/
Business tax information.   Phone: 13 28 66
Small Business Benchmarks   www.ato.gov.au/benchmarks
     
Australian Competition & Consumer Commission www.accc.gov.au
Small business support, franchising, mergers, authorisations, your obligations, professions and industry codes of conduct.
Small business helpline: 1300 302 021  
     
Government Contracts & Tenders   Federal: www.tenders.gov.au
Information on applying for government tenders. NSW: www.tenders.nsw.gov.au
     
GrantsLink   www.grantslink.gov.au
Government website with a grant finder by Industry and State.  
     
Home Office Expenses Calculator   www.ato.gov.au
You can claim a deduction if you carry out income producing work at home and incur expenses in using your home for that purpose.
 
     
Local Government    
Hurstville City Council   www.hurstville.nsw.gov.au/doingbusiness 
Initiatives to promote Hurstville and the wider region as a dynamic place to do business. Phone: 9330 6250
     
Kogarah City Council   www.kogarah.nsw.gov.au 
Local initiatives for small business owners in the region. Phone:  9330 9400
     
Shire Business    Phone: 9710 0607
Information and assistance for businesses in the Sutherland Shire.   www.shirebusiness.com.au
     
Shire Tourism    www.sutherlandshireaustralia.com.au
Information regarding Sutherland Shire as a tourism destination.  
     
State Chamber of Commerce   Phone: 13 26 96 
Information and assistance for business and international trade assistance and contacts. www.nswbc.com.au
     
Rockdale City Council   Phone: 9562 1666
Locally delivered initiatives to provide much needed opportunities for local businesses to thrive. www.rockdale.nsw.gov.au 
     
Grants and Assistance Finder    
Finding business related government grants. This tool provides State and Territory grants and assistance. www.grantfiner.com.au
     
Import/Export    
     
Australian Customs Service   www.customs.gov.au 
Import/export regulations.   Phone: 1300 363 263
     
Austrade   www.austrade.gov.au 
Information on export assistance, research and development grants etc.
Phone: 132 878
     
Australian Institute of Export   www.export.org.au
Provides export education & training, exporter services, a conduit between industry & government, and events.
     
Licences & Trademarks    
     
Australian Copyright Council   www.copyright.org.au
An independent non-profit organisation providing information about copyright, including information sheets and frequently asked questions.
     
Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys   www.ipta.org.au 
Provides news and resource information about patent and trade mark law in Australia.
     
IP Australia   www.ipaustralia.gov.au 
Patents, trademarks, design and intellectual property. Before lodging an application to register a patent, trade mark or design, you should conduct a search of existing records on IP Australia’s databases.
     
Legal Information    
     
Lawlink   www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au
NSW government portal website to law and justice agencies and services in New South Wales and legal information resources.
     
Market Research    
     
Australian Bureau of Statistics   www.abs.gov.au 
Australia's official statistical organisation.    
     
Community Profile   www.id.com.au
Access demographic and statistics based on Local Government Area.  
     
IBIS World   www.ibisworld.com.au
Industry-specific market research, industry risk ratings, company research, business environment analysis. 
     
Marketing Tools    
     
Free Online Business Directories    
The following websites offer free business listings. Include as much information as possible about your products and services, your contact details and a link to your own website.
www.aussieweb.com.au   www.startlocal.com.au
www.searchmysuburb.com.au   www.truelocal.com.au
www.aussielocal.com.au   www.localbusinessguide.com.au
www.biglocal.com.au   www.hotfrog.com.au
www.infolink.com.au  (architecture, building, construction and design industry)
www.google.com.au/lbc     
(Google Local Business Centre – makes it easy for customers to find you on Google search and Google Maps)
     
Email Marketing and Newsletters   www.constantcontact.com
    www.icontact.com
     
Online Surveys   www.surveymonkey.com.au
     
Loans and Banking Products    
     
InfoChoice   www.infochoice.com.au 
Compare financial products from a wide range of providers.