Australia’s federal system involving the eight state and territory governments and the Commonwealth can create confusing and potentially conflicting requirements for businesses operating across borders.
But now, for the first time, businesses thatoperate in the ACT and other jurisdictions can go toone online service – www.business.gov.au/ablis – tounderstand their compliance obligations.
The Australian Business Licence and InformationService, ABLIS, was launched recently, to providea one stop shop so that businesses can create acustom list of information about how to complywith the rules and regulations that apply to their specific situation.
After entering the nature of your business (for example, restaurant or accountancy firm) and thestates and territories you work in, you then plug inmore specific details (for example, whether you areselling alcohol, handling dangerous substances, orproviding audit functions).
The powerful search tool then provides acustomised list of the information relevant to yourbusiness, including rules and regulations imposedby both the Commonwealth and state/territory governments.
This will save time and effort, and replace theseparate services that were provided by state andterritory governments, and I am pleased to reportthat the ACT Government has had an ongoing rolein the design, development and implementation of ABLIS.
ABLIS is an initiative of the Council of AustralianGovernments, and is part of the Australian Business Number and Business Names Registration Project -one of 27 regulatory priorities under the Council ofAustralian Governments red tape reform initiative.
The project has also delivered a national online registration process for business names, with linksto simplified trade mark searches. The project willalso deliver improved ongoing online interactionsbetween government and business using the Australian Business Account.
Through the Business Development Strategy Ireleased this time last year, the ACT Government issupporting the growth of local businesses throughred tape reform, by reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens.
In addition to our ongoing role in red tapereform at a national level, we have established theRed Tape Reduction Panel, which is investigatingand removing regulatory impediments to Canberra businesses.
Supporting the work of the Red Tape ReductionPanel, the online feedback tool Fix my RedTape is now operating to provide a quick andeasy mechanism for businesses to identify redtape, provide feedback, ask questions, or lodge complaints, see:www.canberraconnect.act.gov.au/app/forms/fix_red_tape
ACT Digital Hub
Broadband policy is receiving no shortage ofmedia debate these days, but the revolutionary nature of superfast internet connection is only juststarting to be understood.
Whether you’re a large or small business theNational Broadband Network – currently beingrolled out across Gungahlin, to be followed by therest of Canberra – will have massive benefits.
The NBN Digital Enterprise Centre in the ACT,which is based at the Canberra Business Pointfacilities provided by the Canberra Business Council,conducts NBN training in conjunction with the newDigital Hub at the Gungahlin Library.
The Digital Hub is providing free community workshops and training to improve digital literacyand knowledge of NBN functionality.
I encourage you to check out the Digital Hub at:www.library.act.gov.au/ACTDigitalHub.
Andrew Barr
Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
www.andrewbarr.com.au
