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business.gov.au only publishes information about events or services that are managed, sponsored, and directly affiliated with a federal, state or local government agency.

Please read this policy before you send us a content publishing request.

Target audience

The business.gov.au target audience is:

  • people who want to start or run a business in Australia
  • people who provide services to Australian businesses, such as accountants, tax agents, business advisers, researchers, and business educators.

To make sure business.gov.au provides information that is relevant for the target audience, content is written to:

  • answer frequently asked questions from the business.gov.au Contact Centre and social media community
  • inform of timely and trending events, such as changes in legislation
  • meet feedback and fulfil requests from the Australian business community.

How we source our content

Our content is sourced from:

  • federal, state, territory, and local government agencies in Australia who deal with business
  • organisations that are funded, partly funded, sponsored or supported by government agencies
  • industry or business associations that are reputable and well-known (the website must clearly state the aim of the association and what's required to become a member)
  • non-profit organisations that are reputable and well-known (we’ll consider excluding websites with excessive paid advertising).

business.gov.au works closely with the agencies and organisations to make sure the content is accurate and up to date, and will often link to more detailed information on their websites.

To determine if a website, organisation, event, grant, or service is connected to a government agency, business.gov.au will look at whether the website:

  • displays a government Coat of Arms or department logo
  • has content that describes a relationship with a government agency (by way of funding, sponsorship or official support).

How business.gov.au content is written

To make sure as many people as possible can understand our content we:

  • write in plain English
  • aim for a year 7 reading level or lower
  • use a friendly and informal tone
  • keep it practical
  • follow web Accessibility guidelines
  • use words that the target audience understands
  • consider feedback from the Australian business community and update content accordingly
  • use best practice website and social media content principles such as the Australian Government Style Manual
  • ensure our information is reviewed for accuracy by relevant government agencies
  • use shortened URLs to meet character limit restrictions.

Information we publish

business.gov.au publishes content that helps business owners to:

  • plan, start, run, grow and exit a business in Australia
  • find grants and assistance, advisory services and events
  • meet government requirements and laws
  • easily access all levels of government
  • find out about important changes in business or industry from government.

Content includes:

  • general information
  • links to other websites and resources for more detailed advice
  • examples to show how things work in practice
  • checklists, guides and templates to help make the information practical.

Generally, all content on the business.gov.au social media channels will link back to content on business.gov.au or another government website where appropriate to provide more information.

While care is taken in what business.gov.au links to, business.gov.au has no control over the content published on, or availability of, other websites. Please see our Disclaimer for more information.

business.gov.au does not publish, share or link to content that:

  • only includes detailed, technical information about legislation or policy. If business.gov.au provides this type of information, the content will be explained in plain English and where needed, link to the actual legislation or policy website
  • is commercial in nature and not from an organisation funded, partly funded, sponsored or supported by government
  • isn't useful to the business.gov.au target audience.

To decide where content is published on the website, or which social media channels are used, we'll review the content and decide:

  • which audience the topic of the content is most relevant to
  • how long the content will be current.

Content that is current for a:

  • short period of time is usually published in the News section or on business.gov.au’s social media channels. For example, reminders that tax returns are due, event information, customer stories or business news.
  • longer period of time is usually published in business information pages. For example, information on getting business loans or how to market your small business.

The search features include information about grants and programs, business advice, events and training that:

  • the Australian business community can access or apply for
  • are run, funded, partly funded, supported or sponsored by an Australian government agency (federal, state, territory, or local).

business.gov.au will occasionally publish listings that are connected to a reputable non-profit organisation.

If you request a listing for the business.gov.au search features, make sure you have a web page we can link to that provides full details of the service, event or assistance, and how it is supported by government.

Why and how business.gov.au uses social media

business.gov.au will use social media to:

  • extend reach to the Australian business community
  • interact with customers and the Australian business community
  • encourage peer-to-peer business support
  • humanise the business.gov.au brand
  • demonstrate excellence/leadership in digital engagement
  • increase the accessibility and availability of the information on business.gov.au.

business.gov.au will also connect with relevant government departments and business organisations to build business.gov.au’s social media networks and communities.

Requesting content

The business.gov.au team usually completes publishing requests within 10 business days.

If you have a publishing request that meets our content and social media policy, let us know as soon as possible and a team member will work with you to publish your requested content.

The business.gov.au Content Manager has the final say on where and when content is published.

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