63 - Licensing and Permits - What does your business actually need?

ABN Isn’t Enough: Navigating Licences, Permits and Council Approvals for Australian Small Businesses Melissa Bush explains that registering an ABN and business name is only the start and many Australian businesses need approvals across three tiers of government Commonwealth (e.g., tax, employment, ACL, ASIC licences), state/territory (e.g., trade and building licences, insurance, certification), and local council (e.g., development consent, building approvals, food premises registration, outdoor dining, signage, noise). She outlines typical approval needs for food and hospitality (Food Standards Code, food authority registration, food safety supervisor, council inspections, liquor licensing), trades and construction, health practices (AHPRA registration, premises consent, accessibility, medicines approvals), and retail/e-commerce (product licences, ACL, privacy, ASIC where relevant). She recommends using ABLIS to identify obligations, confirming premises suitability with council, and auditing/renewing licences, noting serious risks of illegal trading, shutdown orders, prosecution, contract breaches, and invalidated insurance. 00:00 The Costly Approval Trap 01:41 Show Overview and Disclaimer 03:59 ABN Is Only Step One 04:35 Three Government Tiers 06:29 Council Approvals Matter 08:26 Food Business Requirements 11:39 Trades and Construction Licences 13:00 Health Practice Compliance 14:30 Retail and Online Rules 15:59 Using ABLIS to Check 19:14 ABLIS Limits and Myths 20:58 Penalties and Insurance Risks 23:47 When Licences Get Suspended 25:15 Practical Approval Checklist 28:14 Wrap Up and Next Steps https://ablis.business.gov.au/ https://business.gov.au/ https://business.gov.au/registrations