Administrative and support services industry
Last Updated: 5 December 2022
Business types in this industry
The administrative and support services industry includes:
- employment agencies
- administrative services
- domestic and commercial cleaning
- pest control
- gardening services
- packaging services
- debt collection
- call centres
- other support activities for the day-to-day operations of other businesses or organisations
Industry statistics
Industry research is an important part of planning for your business, it may help you identify:
- economic and industry trends
- establish or improve your business
- help you keep pace with your industry
See statistics for Australian Industry on the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) website.
The Australian Taxation Office provides industry benchmarks to help you compare your business's performance against similar businesses in your industry. Read about the benchmarks for support services.
Check out the profile for the administrative and support services industry, on the Labour Market Insights website. This will give you an idea of what's happening in the Australian job market.
Legislation, standards and initiatives
It’s important that you’re aware of the laws that apply to the administrative and support services industry. Key legislation includes:
- Competition and Consumer Act 2010
- Australian Consumer Law (ACL)
- Privacy Act 1988
- Australian Privacy Principles
Select the relevant topic below for specific industry and business legislation.
Call centre services
Cleaning, gardening & pest control services
Packaging labelling codes and standards
Trading hours
Learn about fair trading
Check the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission's (ACCC) website for more information on:
- Personal services - an industry guide to the Australian Consumer Law.
- Debt collection - rules for businesses on fair trading.
Licences and permits
State, territory and local governments manage the licences and permits for the administrative and support services industry. Select the relevant service type below for some of the licences and permits you may need.
Debt collection services
Cleaning, gardening & pest control
Employment agencies
Packaging services
Find the licences and permits you need for your business
Search the Australian Business Licence and Information Service (ABLIS) to find information on the licences you may need.
Taxation
All Australian businesses have goods and services tax (GST) obligations. Know your GST obligations and register with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to ensure you can claim your GST credits.
Employing people
If you employ staff, you need to comply with Australia’s national workplace laws specific to the administrative and support services industry.
Workplace health and safety (WHS)
There are general work health and safety regulations for all businesses, however there are state and territory WHS requirements that apply to businesses in the administrative and support services industry:
Intellectual property
It is important to protect your intellectual property when starting and growing your business. ‘Intellectual property’ (IP) is the creation of original ideas, inventions or brands.
If you have an administrative or support services business, you may need to consider different types of IP. For example, this may be a patent to protect a new invention, a trademark to protect your brand or plant breeder's rights for a new plant variety.
Environment
The main environmental concerns that businesses in the administrative and support services industry should be aware of include:
- protection of parks, flora and fauna
- protection of heritage sites
- water conservation
- sustainability
- strategies to reduce pesticide spray drift
- proper disposal of pesticides and other harmful chemicals
- proper disposal of trade waste
- biodegradable packaging options
- waste management and reduction.
Find support
If you need advice or support, consider getting help from your industry association, a business adviser, accountant or legal professional.