Key Points
- The Australian Government is providing $125.2 million over four years from 2010-11 to reduce the regulatory burden on business and help deliver a seamless economy.
- The funding will deliver on the Australian Government’s obligations under the July 2009 Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Business Names Agreement and Business Online Services Heads of Agreement.
- This initiative will develop a seamless online registration process for Australian Business Numbers (ABNs) and business names, including trade mark searching, hence reducing the burden on business.
- The initiative will also deliver online business information services and improve ongoing interactions between government and business.
- State governments have agreed to refer their powers for business names registration to allow the national business names registration system.
- The system is expected to begin in mid-2011.
Facts and Figures
Approximately 600,000 ABNs and 250,000 business names are registered each year. These are the most common registrations for clients when starting a business.
The purpose of business name registration is to allow consumers to ascertain who is behind a business or trading name.
The initiative will deliver on a number of objectives including:
- a seamless online registration process for ABNs and national business names
- improved trade mark searching
- improved online availability of business name registration
- improved awareness about the different rights conferred by business names in comparison to trade marks
- reduced compliance burden on small business by capturing common data and pre-filling of forms
- reduced compliance burden on businesses by consolidating information delivery on regulation from all levels of government.
Agencies involved with the project include:
- The Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research
- The Treasury
- Australian Securities and Investments Commission
- Australian Taxation Office
- IP Australia
- State and Territory small business, fair trading and consumer affairs agencies.
This project originated as a response to the report, Rethinking Regulation: Report of the Taskforce on Reducing Regulatory Burdens on Business (Banks Report). This initiative will help address Recommendation 6.2, to systematically use information technology to reduce business compliance costs; and will address in particular, Recommendation 6.4, to streamline the ABN and business name registration processes.
On 3 July 2008, COAG approved the establishment of a national business name registration system. COAG also approved the referral of all necessary powers from the states to the Commonwealth for the establishment of the national registration system. On 2 July 2009, COAG signed an Intergovernmental Agreement for Business Names and a Heads of Agreement for business online services.
RECENT ACTIVITY
In April and May 2010 a series of forums in each capital city were organised to consult on the proposed national business name registration system.
A public exposure draft of the Business Name Registration Bill and its related fees bill was released on 28 May 2010 for consultation.
Parts of the main bill have not been included for public consultation as they relate to Commonwealth/State relations.
Comments are welcome and can be sent by 28 August 2010*, to:
businessnamesconsultation@innovation.gov.au
OR
General Manager
Business Registration and Licensing Branch
Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research
GPO Box 9839
Canberra ACT 2601
Please check this page regularly as further information will be provided as it becomes available.
*Original reply date was 27 June - this has been extended to 28 August 2010