Home page
> Management Advisory Committee
> Connected Government > Next:
‹ Previous page
Last updated: 8 February 2007
business.gov.au - Connecting business to government
business.gov.au is the Australian Government's award-winning business website that offers simple and convenient access to government business information, transactions and services.
By using business.gov.au, businesses can to comply with government requirements quickly and easily. From establishing a new business, to managing staff, taxation and superannuation obligations, occupational health and safety information and expanding a business, the website provides practical information and advice.
The website was the first truly whole-of government service delivery initiative in Australia – it was the first in the world to provide Internet access points for business and to successfully encompass the three levels of Australian Government.
business.gov.au, originally named Business Entry Point, arose in 1997 from the Australian Government’s commitment to ease the compliance burden for businesses.
While it continues to provide comprehensive government information, services and resources, the overall initiative has evolved into a multifaceted programme. The website is now responsible for developing new technologies, processes and structures to make it even easier for business to interact with government.
business.gov.au provides access to over 10,000 items of government business information and services. In 2006, it received 3 million visits, proving it is a national government leader in the online world.
business.gov.au's key information and services to Australian business include:
New to business checklist
Released in August 2006, the New to business checklist helps people find the essential information they need to start a business. It includes a series of questions to guide people through the various stages of their business including before they start, when they start, when they buy and when they run their business.
The checklist also includes a summary checklist and a federal, state and territory government agency index.
Twenty eight government agencies, including Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR), Australian Taxation Office (ATO), Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) and various state and territory agencies, were consulted in the development of the checklist and many agency programs relevant to business are represented in the guide.
How-to-guides
business.gov.au's How-to-guides present advice and information on the different stages of running a business. The information has been collected from all levels of government, allowing business owners to have complete knowledge on government requirements.
Government & business associations directory
The Government & business associations directory allows people to connect with over 1,500 government, business and industry associations.
Businesses can search for contact details by agency name, key words or alphabetical listing.
Events Calendar
business.gov.au's events calendar provides information about business-related government training and networking opportunities.
Events are sourced around the country from all three levels of government and cover a vast range of business topics including planning, marketing, employing and managing staff, taxation and exporting.
ABN Lookup
ABN Lookup is a service that contains the public information provided by a business when it registers for an Australian Business Number (ABN).
With ABN Lookup, business operators can check the registration details of other businesses including their legal and trading names, and ABN and GST status for ordering and invoicing purposes.
The ABN website has been well received by businesses, obtaining an average of 6 million searches per month for 2006.
ABN Lookup is an award winning whole-of-government initiative developed in collaboration by business.gov.au and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
Content Syndication
Content Syndication makes it simple for business operators to find the government information they need to run their business, by placing federal, state and local government information on as many partner websites as possible. Partner websites include local government bodies, industry associations and private and public companies.
Content Syndication is a prime example of the importance business.gov.au places on sharing its information, services and resources as widely as possible through the Australian business community, and across all levels of government.
The syndication model is receiving significant interest from other agencies and overseas countries that see it as a best practice model for disseminating government information to clients.
Transaction Manager
business.gov.au's Transaction Manager is an online service that provides tools for businesses to find, manage and complete the forms they regularly submit to all levels of government – from registering for an ABN and applying for licences to paying rates.
There are over 5,500 business related government forms available through Transaction Manager, and this number is continually reviewed and growing.
Transaction Manager was described as an example of the ‘best of the best’ in innovative e-Government practices in a 2005 report by Accenture. It was seen as “a striking example of citizen-centred, proactive, cross-governmental service” and it was “particularly valuable for small businesses, which may not have the resources to spend much time on learning the ins-and-outs of the multiple government agencies they interact with”.
A new feature of Transaction Manager is Forms Manager. It allows businesses to save forms to their personal computer to fill out off-line at a time that suits them.
Forms Manager is a major step to the longer term solution of improving access to government forms online.
SmartForms
SmartForms are new intelligent forms available through business.gov.au's Transaction Manager. With SmartForms government agencies can replace everyday forms with a streamlined, automated process that offers significant benefits to business users and government.
SmartForms aim to encourage a consistent whole-of-government approach to using electronic forms that can provide substantial time and resource savings for businesses and government.
business.gov.au is a global best practice model which showcases innovative government solutions in management and dissemination.
The website has won numerous awards, including most recently, the 2006 United Nations Public Service Award for Excellence in e-Government.
With such a comprehensive resource containing so many valuable services that simplify dealing with government, it makes sense why smart businesses are using business.gov.au to manage their government compliance requirements.
