A broad range of assistance is offered to expanding businesses by Federal, State, and Local government agencies.

Many of these agencies are listed on this site under Useful Organisations and Links. The information provided below gives you an overview of the areas to consider.

An important decision you need to make when expanding your business is choosing the business structure that best suits your expanding needs and budget.

There are four main types of business structures commonly used by small business in Australia:

The Federal Governent Business Portal website has two useful sections to help you decide on the best structure for your business, these are: Decide on a business structure and Which business structure should I choose?

In addition to the above links, the Queensland Government have developed a Fact Sheet entitled Choosing the Best Legal Structure for your Business.

New companies must be registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) in order to be recognised as Australian companies under the Corporations Law.

For more information, see business.gov.au's Register Your Company.

It is important to find out what licensing requirements apply to your business if you are expanding into new areas of operation or simply expanding in size.

The Smartlicence website will give you all the information you need on licensing requirements for your business.

As an employer you have certain legal obligations to your staff.

You must register with the Australian Taxation Office; pay wages according to the relevant state or federal award; keep employment records; comply with occupational health and safety requirements; comply with employment terms and conditions; and pay superannuation. The Federal Government Business Gateway provides information about all the responsibilities associated with Employing Staff.

Intellectual Property (IP)

Smart Start is Intellectual Property Australia's guide to managing your IP. It is designed to introduce you to basic intellectual property concepts and is structured to take into account some of the different scenarios that may face an expanding business.

Planning and Building Approvals

Your business may need to have planning approvals in the form of development consent and/or building approvals. The local council will determine whether you need to make any applications for approval or obtain special licences for such things as pollution, hazardous materials storage or waste disposal.

If you are setting up a business on the Fraser Cost, see the Town Plans: www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/services/Planning%20and%20Development.shtml)
section of the Fraser Cost Regional Council website for more information about planning approvals and see the Town Planning Applications: www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/services/Planning%20and%20Development.shtml
section for more information about building approvals.

For more information on any of these areas, please browse through the various areas of the Fraser Coast Business website, look at the Resources page and the Useful Organisations section of the website.