01 June 2000

It’s not too late! 1,000 GST business skills courses available Australia-wide.

More than 1,000 GST Business Skills courses will run in the month of June across Australia. Small businesses, community groups and educational organisations can search for seminars on the GST Course Database, which went live online today.

The GST Course Database developed by the GST Start-Up Assistance Office can be found at www.gststartup.gov.au.

There are more than 145 GST seminars in Western Australia being held from today to the end of June. Some of the industries delivering seminars in Western Australia include the St Vincent de Paul Society and the Housing Industry Association. The major industry associations and contact details are listed below. A complete list is available on the website.

Chair of the New Tax System Advisory Board, Chris Jordan, said, "If you still need information on how to prepare your business for 1 July, there’s still time. Attend a GST Business Skills course being run by industry associations nationally to ensure your business or organisation is GST-ready."

"To find out the course near your area, you can access the database online or if you don’t have Internet access, you can call GST Assist 13 30 88, to do the search for you", said Mr Jordan.

"If you’re unable to attend a seminar, you can still take advantage of the useful GST Business Skills products available free online or requested via GST Assist 13 30 88. You can find useful checklists, re-pricing guidelines and the hugely successful GST and Business Skills – an Action Guide on the website as well."

"The courses are funded by the GST Start-Up Assistance Office and focus on business skills required for the introduction of GST on 1 July, including information on preparing a first monthly or quarterly Business Activity Statements (BAS)."

"The courses are delivered by a range of industry and professional associations to educate their sector—not just their members", said Mr Jordan.

The GST Course Database allows people to select courses by sector – ensuring that the course they choose is relevant for their type of business. To register for a course, contact the relevant industry association.