• 157 contracts and grants were provided to peak bodies, generally to develop and print business skills and GST training material, deliver seminars and use their networks to market the assistance to members and non members in their sector.
• Around 14,000 GST business skills seminars were delivered under these contracts.

64 contracts and grants were provided to peak bodies to deliver BAS and PAYG assistance.

• For small business, the delivery was through workshops and clinics. Contracts were provided to each State and Territory chamber of commerce and the Business Enterprise Centres for delivery of assistance across all sectors. In addition, a small number of industry specific contracts were provided, particularly for the delivery of BAS clinics and the distribution of publications and information on assistance to the sector. BAS and PAYG seminars in more than 60 locations were also delivered in August and October by TEO Training Pty Ltd - the organisation contracted under the Adviser Education programme.
• For the community sector, contracts were provided to 14 peak bodies to fund community sector liaison officers who were responsible for contacting and informing community, voluntary and cultural organisations about the forms of assistance available for this sector. These were sector specific seminars delivered through a contract with the Australian Institute of Management; sector specific products; one-on-one assistance through a bookkeeper service or the ATO field officer service; and the question and answer service provided by the GST Assist helpline.
• For the community sector, a tax reference site - www.communitytaxhelp.org
• To deliver training to the accounting profession, a consortium of four peak bodies representing the profession (The Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia (ICAA), Society of Certified Practising Accountants of Australia (SCPAA), Tax Institute of Australia (TIA), and National Institute of Accountants (NIA) ), was established to deliver sectoral assistance. The assistance was delivered through a website (www.payg.com.au) and a Reference Referral Service.
• For the indigenous community, a contract (with Community Housing Federation of Australia) funded a training programme for 120 indigenous communities and a separate programme for indigenous trainers. A further 3 contracts funded six indigenous liaison officers to educate indigenous communities on GST.
• For the education sector, 14 peak bodies were contracted to fund sector specific assistance on BAS and PAYG.

Around 6000 seminars and clinics were delivered under these contracts.

Signpost Officers:

A team of 43 GST Signpost Officers working in rural and remote areas with small businesses and community organisations across Australia supported the programme. These Signpost Officers made an important contribution to the smooth introduction of the GST in regional Australia being a vital link between the community and the Government's GST Start-Up Assistance Programme.

GST Signpost Officers helped local businesses fully benefit from the wide range of GST-related assistance and advice on offer from the Government by pointing businesses to the right source of advice or assistance on GST issues. They ensured that local businesses access the most appropriate source of assistance and advice on GST issues, whether it be business skills education, seminars, booklets, tax rulings or direct assistance, including how to obtain the $200 certificate and access to the substantial discounts on GST related products and services.

From 1 March 2001 to 29 June 2001, the Signpost Officer programme was administered by Department of Employment Workplace Relations and Small Business (DEWRSB).

2. Advisor Education Programme

The Advisor Education programme provided a GST education programme to informal advisers to SMECEs. The objective of the programme was to provide GST education to a large network of geographically accessible informal advisors who in turn could pass the information to the end target group.

TEO Training Pty Ltd won the contract to deliver this programme through a tender process.

Courses were held in over 70 locations Australia-wide on the following topics:

• Introduction to the GST and Registration Options;
• GST and Your Systems and Records; and
• Frequently Asked Questions; and
• How to complete your BAS and PAYG; and
• Combined course of all of the above.

The material developed was made available to contracted peak bodies for their use and adaptation and on www.gststartup.gov.au. To download course material, click here.

A Combined Course (ie a re-run of Courses 1 and 2) was run at the end of 1999-2000 to meet additional demand from small business. These courses targeted participants with no previous exposure to the terminology and system requirements associated with the New Tax System and the GST.

This programme was extended to deliver additional assistance to small business through a series of BAS and PAYG training. These courses began in early 2000-01 and were run until close to the due date for the first BAS.

3. Business Skills Education Programme

The objective of this programme was to develop and distribute a range of products and services to SMECEs. These comprised the following.

GST Assist

The GST Assist Helpline was launched on 11 October 1999 to provide a complete GST business skills information service targeting SMECEs. The service was operated under contracts with The Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAA) and the Society of Certified Practising Accountants of Australia (SCPAA) who provided answers to callers from small business, and the community and education sector respectively. GST Assist operated until 28 February 2001.

• During the lifespan of the helpline, information was provided to more than 1 million callers.

Publications

The Office has arranged for the production and distribution of around 20 million publications on business skills, the GST, BAS and PAYG (including booklets, videos and CD ROMs). In addition, electronic versions of the products were available on www.gststartup.gov.au. To download most of these publications click here.

The major products developed during the life of the programme are:

The GST and Business Skills - An Action Guide

The GST & Business Skills - Checklists (also translated into 24 languages)

The GST & Business Skills - Voluntary Sector Handbook

Voluntary Treasurer's Handbook

A Guide to Managing Change including The New Tax System (published on website only)

Re-Pricing and The New Tax System (also translated into 24 languages)

Ready for the GST? (also translated into 24 languages)

Quick Guide - Restaurant Operations (also translated into 24 languages)

Quick Guide - Landlords (also translated into 24 languages)

Quick Guide - Imports (also translated into 24 languages)

Quick Guide - Exports (also translated into 24 languages)

Quick Guide - PAYG and BAS (also translated into 24 languages)

Quick Guide - PAYG, Instalments and Cashflow (also translated into 24 languages)

Decision Tree for Contractors - website only

Taxi Drivers Guide to Completing BAS

Business Activity Statement - Video (available in 7 languages)

Websites

Two websites provided information about the GST assistance programmes:

• www.gststartup.gov.au - provided information about the programmes, access to products online including media releases and other GSTSAO publications.
• www.gstassist.gov.au - provided access to registered supplier applications and information about registered suppliers.

Assistance for Constituents from a Non English Speaking Background

The programme initially provided GST education to ethnic business and community leaders and media. This was supported by presentations by GSTSAO and ATO officers, the distribution of information kits (in 24 languages), containing publications developed by the GSTSAO (see above) and the ATO.

The programme subsequently provided BAS and PAYG education to ethnic business and community leaders and media. This was supported by presentations by GSTSAO officers and the distribution of information kits (in 24 languages), containing publications developed by the GSTSAO (see above) and the ATO. Videos on the BAS in 7 languages were produced and distributed, and seminars were provided in 7 languages.

Most of the translated publications were also inserted into ethnic media outlets and used in articles.

4. Direct Assistance Programme

The objective of the direct assistance programme was to deliver a $200 certificate to small business and community groups that registered for GST by 31 May 2000. The certificate was to be redeemed with a registered supplier for goods or services that would assist the GST registrant prepare for the GST. This included computer hardware, computer software, stationary, training courses, and financial advice. The certificates were available for use until 11 November 2000.

• Over 1.9 million certificates were issued.
• Over 14,000 suppliers were registered to supply goods and services under this programme.