Overview

• Starting a new business or making changes can seem overwhelming. To assist, business.gov.au offers you simple and convenient access to all the government information, forms and services you need. It's a whole-of-government service providing essential information on planning, starting and growing your business.

If you are opening a café, restaurant or small bar you can use just one form and save months of time with Service NSW's Business Services. Their website can help you with everything from getting your Council Development Application right the first time to applying for outdoor dining, liquor licencing and more.

Chambers of Commerce are a great forum for connecting with businesses local to you and have a wealth of business knowledge to help and support your work.

Five Dock Chamber of Commerce

• Email: info@fivedockchambers.com.au
• President: Gianni Musumeci 0404 867 996

Majors Bay Chamber of Commerce

• majorsbaycc.com.au
• Email: chamber@majorsbaycc.com.au
• President: Christian Bracci 0408 350 321

Drummoyne Business Chamber

• Email: drummoynechamber@gmail.com 
• President: Patrick Kayrooz 0418 207 132

Other associations and networks

Female entreprenuers may be interested in the Women's Network Australia T 1800 052 476 W womensnetwork.com.au

The Federal Government provides a list of many government and non-government industry and business associations at www.business.gov.au.

Community profile

The City of Canada Bay Community Profile is designed to inform community groups, investors, business, students and the general public about the local area. To achieve this, the Profile is formatted to present the data in simple, clear tables and charts with concise factual commentary.

Child Friendly Business Guide 

The City of Canada Bay Child Friendly Business Guide is a guide for small business that will help you attract more customers by providing better attractions and access to your business. The Guide provides information about the benefits of appealing to local families and will provide you with easy to read practical tips and suggestions for improving attractions for all your customers regardless of age and meet the needs of this growing section of our community. While written prior to the Covid-19 pandemic some information may be useful.

Graffiti removal service

The City of Canada Bay offers a graffiti removal service for private and commercial property in the local government area. For more details on what is covered, please visit the graffiti removal service web page, contact Customer Service on 9911 6555 during business hours, or call the graffiti hotline on 9911 6444, 24/7.

Missed Business Guide

The Missed Business Guide is a guide for small business that will help you attract more customers by providing better access to your business. The Guide provides information about the benefits of diversifying your customer base and will provide you with easy to read practical tips and suggestions for improving access for all your customers as well as help you to meet the mandatory requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.

Self learning at the libraries

The City of Canada Bay's Five Dock and Concord libraries have an extensive collection of business related resources which can be accessed virtual through our eLibrary.

Enquiries can be made to our library teams on weekdays between 9am–5pm by calling 9911 6210 (Concord Library), 9911 6310 (Five Dock Library) or emailing library@canadabay.nsw.gov.au.

Venues for meetings, activities and events

The City of Canada Bay has a range of venues available for temporary hire. For more information visit our venues for hire webpage.

Further useful information is available (please note some of these areas will be impacted by COVID-19 precautions):

Commercial Development
Business Licensing and Permits
Filming and Photography
Operating a Food Business
Parking Permits
Personal Trainers

If you're looking to establish and develop your business within the City of Canada Bay, visit our new business webpage.

Training Services NSW

Training Services NSW provides advice and support to:

• NSW businesses to help them meet their current and future skills needs
• People seeking official information and help with apprenticeships and traineeships
• Access the vocational training system in NSW for industry, trainers and learners.

T 13 28 11 W training.nsw.gov.au 

A significant stage in a business' life cycle is the commencement of employing staff, and then the continual management of the staff. The organisations and legislation set out below will provide assistance in understanding your obligations to your employees.

Anti-discrimination laws

Anti-discrimination laws help protect people from discrimination and harassment. These laws are outlined on the Australian Human Rights Commission's website.

W humanrights.gov.au

Australian Apprenticeships

Australian Apprenticeships covers all apprenticeships and traineeships. They combine time at work with training and can be full-time, part-time or school-based. There is likely to be an apprenticeship to suit your business needs, as they are available in a variety of qualification levels in more than 500 occupations across Australia in traditional trades, as well as a diverse range of emerging careers in most sectors of business and industry. 
T 13 28 11 W australianapprenticeships.gov.au 

Australian Taxation Office (ATO)

Contact the ATO to find out what tax issues affect your business. 
T 13 24 78 W ato.gov.au

Fair Work Australia 

Fair Work Australia is the national workplace relations tribunal and includes information on current employee award systems. 
T 1300 799 675 W fwa.gov.au 

Wages and rates of pay

NSW Industrial Relations (NSW IR) strives to make NSW workplaces fairer, more innovative, flexible, and responsive to the needs of employers and workers. Apart from the direct services offered to individuals and businesses, the legislation they administer sets the rules for fairness in the workplace. 
T 131 628 W industrialrelations.nsw.gov.au

SafeWork NSW

SafeWork NSW is the state's workplace health and safety regulator. They offer advice on improving work health and safety, provide licences and registration for potentially dangerous work, investigate workplace incidents and enforce work health and safety laws in NSW.
T 13 10 50 W safework.nsw.gov.au

Business.gov.au

Business.gov.au provides services and grants that build on three key drivers of economic growth: innovation, investment and international competitiveness.

Exporting programs include:

Certain Imports to Manufacture (CIM): the Certain Inputs to Manufacture (CIM) program aims to improve the competitiveness of Australian industry by providing import duty concessions on certain imported raw materials and intermediate goods such as chemical, plastics or paper goods. In addition, CIM covers metal materials and goods which are used for the packaging of food.

TradeEx Scheme: the TradeEx Scheme allows an importer to gain an up-front exemption from Customs duty and GST on eligible imported goods that are intended for export. The goods may be exported in the same condition as imported, subjected to a process or treatment after importation, then exported or incorporated in other goods which are exported. Export may be carried out by the importer or a third party.

T 13 28 46 W business.gov.au

Austrade

Austrade assists Australian businesses contribute to national prosperity by succeeding in trade and investment, internationally, through promoting and supporting local businesses in connecting with foreign markets. Programs include:

• Exporting Online: helping Australian exporters to better understand and utilise the internet to support and develop their export endeavours.
• TradeStart: a national network of export assistance offices, partnerships between Austrade and a range of local private and public sector organisations throughout Australia. These TradeStart partners employ export advisors who are well versed in the needs of exporters and potential exporters and skilled in matters of international trade.
• Business Club Australia: providing business matching services and networking opportunities at major international events.

T 13 28 78 W austrade.gov.au

Resourcewise is the City of Canada Bay's sustainable business program.

The program has helped businesses reduce energy and water usage, minimise waste sent to landfill and increase social sustainability by building links between business and the community.

Resourcewise has created opportunities for businesses, community members and government to work together to achieve quantifiable reductions in resource usage.

To discover more about this fantastic program, visit the Resourcewise web page.

Love Food Hate Waste for business

In 2007-08 Sydney Businesses sent over 300,000 tonnes of food waste to landfill. This cost businesses $36,000 in disposal fees alone. This NSW Government program aims to raise awareness around the economic and environmental impacts of wasting food.  If you become a Love Food Hate Waste partner your business will save money, help the environment and be recognised by the program.

For more information and to see tips relevant to your industry or become a partner please visit the Love Food Hate Waste website.

Bin Trim – waste solutions for a sustainable business

NSW businesses send more than 2.5 million tonnes of business waste to landfill each year. The good news is more than 70% of this could be reused or recycled. The Bin Trim tool helps you increase your business’s rate of reuse and recycling by providing you:

• a profile of your current waste and recycling
• a tailored action plan to reduce your waste
• information to help you waste less and save more, including informative industry and materials fact sheets and business case studies.

For more information see the Bin Trim website.

More information

For further information on these programs, contact Council's Sustainable Business Officer on 9911 6455 or email.