On 28 May 2012 (subject to the passage of legislation through State parliaments), a new national business names register will commence, allowing businesses to register their name nationally through an online service.
The new online service will replace the current state and territory systems so that businesses will only need to register their name once, and will no longer be required to register separately in each state and territory they operate in. Existing business names currently registered in a state or territory will automatically be transferred to the new register.
ASIC has released Regulatory Guide 235 - Registering your business name (RG 235) to help businesses prepare for its new national register of business names.