Business Assistance

• Search AusIndustry for information on government business assistance programs and services.

• Search the Business Entry Point, (formerly BizLink) a Federal government initiative for Australian business.

• There is a range of helpful information at Australian business.

Business Organisations

• the Australian Institute of Company Directors is the representative body for Australian company directors and senior officers.

• Search the Government and Business Associations Directory.

• Visit the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry or the American Chamber of Commerce Australia. There are also state chambers of commerce in Queensland and Western Australia or you can search for them worldwide at ChamberFind.

Companies

• Search for both private and public companies at the companies' watchdog, the Australian Securities and Investment Commission.

• Do basic company research on publicly listed Australian companies at the Australian Stock Exchange.

• You can carry out company searches, business name searches, investigative corporate reporting and others at CITEC Confirm (fees apply).

• Get annual reports of the top 500 Australian companies at Connect4 (fees apply).

• Business Review Weekly has a searchable business directory. They also have a list of the top 500 private companies (fees apply).

• Download a spreadsheet of Business Review Weekly's listing of the top 500 private companies in Australia (by subscription apply).

• Corporate Information has a range of Australian company and business information.

• Find links to different business news and articles (updated 5 times weekly) at Business Daily Review.

• Check land title ownership via CITEC Confirm's property databases (fees apply).

• Yahoo! Australia & NZ's finance section has a lof of background business information.

• Consult the 1999 Country Commercial Guide - Australia prepared by the US Embassy.

• Search a database of statutory and financial information on all registered UK companies and Directors.

Currencies

• Check the worth of the A$ and other world currencies, according to today's market trading, at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the Bank of Montreal's universal currency converter.

• Exchange rates for earlier dates can be found via the historical currency table.

Directories

• Search the Australian Business Register by company name or ABN.

• Search the Government and Business Associations Directory.

• Search the Australian Financial Services Directory.

• Find the web sites of Australian businesses and organisations through the business links at Australian Business, at AusTrade's Suppliers Database or through Connect4's Australian company web links.

• Search Kompass, the online directory of businesses organised by product or service.

• Search the following Australian business directories - aussie.com.au, the Yellow Pages the Australian Manufacturers Guide, the Australian Suppliers database or the Green Pages. There are further directories in the Australian section at Corporate Information.

E-commerce

• Keep up with what's happening in Australian ecommerce at the Australian Electronic Business Network.

• Look at the OECD's new large report on The Economic and Social Impacts of Electronic Commerce - Preliminary Findings and Research Agenda.

Floats and IPOs

• Find information on upcoming Australian floats at Floatnews which also offers an email alerting service.

• Check upcoming floats at the Australian Stock Exchange.

Industries

• Find companies by industry at AusTrade's Suppliers Database or through Connect4's Australian company web links.

• Find out about Australia's environment business sector at Australia's EnviroNET.

• Find industry regulatory bodies at APRA.

• Yahoo! Industry Center is a portal for news, announcements, research and background on 17 industries, including telecommunications, biotechnology and drugs, semiconductors, automotive and aerospace and defence.

Insurance

• The Insurance Council of Australia represents the interests of the Australian general insurance industry.

• The International Insurance Fact Book provides individual country profiles, a world overview, world rankings. and related ifnormation.

• Visit the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), the the prudential regulator of banks, insurance companies and superannuation funds, credit unions, building societies and friendly societies.

Regulators