Government introduces clean-up for WA Business Names Register

20/8/03
The Government has moved to protect the integrity of Western Australian business names, through new legislation presented to State Parliament today by Consumer and Employment Protection Minister John Kobelke.
Mr Kobelke said improvements to the Business Names Register would not only help avoid confusion between similar names, but deter non-operating businesses from locking up names.
"The Gallop Government is delivering a fairer deal to all Western Australians, and companies in our State need to be confident that the business names under which they operate cannot be used by others, with the potential for their reputations and customers to be stolen," the Minister said.
"The existence of thousands of names remaining on the register when they are not required, or not in use, is inefficient and causes significant difficulty, both for businesses seeking registration and for Government as the administrator.
"To tackle the problem, the Government will re-instate the $25 a year registration fee that was dropped in January 2001."
Following the removal of the fee, business name renewals grew by more than 5,000 but eased back in 2002, when the fee was briefly re-introduced.
Mr Kobelke told the Legislative Assembly re-introduction of the renewal fee would deter non-operating businesses from renewing their business names and cover some of the costs of business regulation and Government advice and assistance provided to WA businesses.
Under the legislation, individuals or bodies corporate would again be required to pay $75 to register a business name for three years, which would be the second lowest rate in Australia and less than half the three yearly rate of $162 paid by Queensland businesses.
"The renewal fee deters non-operating businesses from renewing a business name, but the absence of a fee has the opposite effect by allowing names to be hogged by businesses which are no longer operating," Mr Kobelke said.
Minister's office: 9222 9211