Country40 researched factors

Starting a small business in Australia (2026): costs, wages, rent, licences

Australia at a glance

Australia has the highest legal minimum wage of the four English-speaking markets ($26.44/hour from 1 Jul 2026, before the 25% casual loading and weekend/public holiday penalty rates set by modern awards), so labour dominates costs and weekend trading is expensive. Employers also pay 12% superannuation, now with every pay run. Against that, setup is cheap (free ABN, $47 business name), GST only bites at $75,000 turnover, and fresh basic food is GST-free. Food rules are national (Food Standards Code, compulsory food handler training under Standard 3.2.2A) but registration and food-truck approvals sit with states and councils. Since 1 Oct 2026 businesses can no longer pass card fees to customers on the main networks, though interchange caps were cut. Climate risks (bushfire, flood, cyclone, heatwave) are real trading disruptions.

MetroSydney

Mid-size cityNewcastle, NSW

Small townDubbo, NSW

Business ideas in Australia

Australia at a glance

Cities used for the three sizes: Sydney · Newcastle, NSW · Dubbo, NSW

	Australia
Minimum wage, monthly	$4,355
Unskilled day wage	$212
Shop rent, metro (per sq ft/month)	$6.2Estimate
Shop rent, mid-size city	$3.1Estimate
Shop rent, small town	$1.9Estimate
Commercial power, per kWh	$0.33Estimate
Commercial LPG cylinder	$42Estimate
Petrol, per litre	$2.2Estimate
Cup of tea / coffee	$5Estimate
Simple meal	$18Estimate
Men's haircut	$35Estimate
Milk, 1 litre	$1.65Estimate
Bread loaf	$3Estimate

Taxes

Sales Tax	GST 10% on most goods and services; basic fresh food (bread, milk, fruit, vegetables, meat) GST-free; restaurant, takeaway and hot food taxable
Small Biz Threshold	GST registration compulsory at $75,000 annual turnover ($150,000 for non-profits); compulsory from day one for taxi and ride-share drivers
Local Levies	Superannuation guarantee 12% of ordinary earnings, paid each pay run from 1 Jul 2026 (Payday Super); state payroll tax only above high thresholds (NSW $1.2M wages); workers' comp insurance by state; council rates passed through in leases

Licences and registrations

Rules vary by state and city: confirm with your municipal office.

Licences and registrations	Fee	Authority	Source
Australian Business Number (ABN)	Free	Australian Business Register (ATO)	abr.gov.au
Business name registration	$47 for 1 year / $108 for 3 years (from 1 Jul 2026)	ASIC	business.gov.au
Pty Ltd company registration	$636 + $342 annual review (from 1 Jul 2026)	ASIC	business.gov.au
Food business notification + Food Safety Supervisor certificate (NSW)	Notification $55 (NSW Food Authority); FSS course about $150–$200; certificate valid 5 years	NSW Food Authority / local council	foodauthority.nsw.gov.au
Mobile food vending (food truck) approval	Est. $300–$1,500/yr council registration and inspection; Victoria uses statewide Streatrader registration	Local council (NSW) / Streatrader (VIC)	foodauthority.nsw.gov.au

Festivals and demand

Festivals and demand	Dates (2026–27)	Effect on trade
Melbourne Cup	3 Nov 2026	public holiday in Melbourne; pubs, cafés and party catering busy nationwide
Black Friday / Christmas	27 Nov – 24 Dec 2026	retail peak; Christmas parties lift catering
Christmas, Boxing Day, summer holidays	25 Dec 2026 – late Jan 2027	CBD trade slumps, beach and holiday towns boom; Boxing Day sales; public holiday penalty rates (250%)
Australia Day	26 Jan 2027	public holiday; BBQ, events and beach trade
Lunar New Year	6 Feb 2027	festivals and restaurant demand in Sydney/Melbourne Asian precincts
Easter	26–29 Mar 2027	4-day weekend; Good Friday and Easter Sunday trading restrictions in several states
Anzac Day	25 Apr 2027	morning trading restrictions for retail in most states; pubs busy
King's Birthday	14 Jun 2027 (most states)	long weekend; winter ski season start

Seasons and weather

Dec–Feb · Summer: heatwaves, bushfire risk in the south-east, holiday-town peak and city lull
Nov–Apr · Wet season and cyclones in the tropical north (QLD, NT, northern WA); flooding on the east coast
Jun–Aug · Mild winter in Sydney/Newcastle; cooler, wetter in Melbourne; ski season in alpine areas

How people pay

DigitalShare · Cash about 13% of in-person transactions (2022 data) and falling; contactless cards and phone wallets dominate
Credit · Card surcharging on eftpos/Visa/Mastercard banned from 1 Oct 2026; buy-now-pay-later common in retail; tipping not expected

Where costs and rules differ most

New South Wales · baseline: payroll tax above $1.2M wages, Food Safety Supervisor rule, council-by-council food-truck approvals, highest Sydney rents
Victoria · statewide Streatrader registration for stalls and food trucks, payroll tax and mental health levy, tobacco retail licensing, Melbourne Cup holiday
Queensland · cyclone and flood risk, tourism-driven seasonality, lower payroll tax rate for regional employers, food licence by council
Western Australia · FuelWatch daily fuel-price rules, isolated supply chains and higher freight, mining-wage competition for staff, Perth trading-hours rules
South Australia · cheaper Adelaide rents, container deposit scheme, strict shop trading hours regime, early single-use plastics bans
Tasmania · smaller tourist-seasonal market, lower rents, cold climate, freight costs across Bass Strait

40 researched factors

JSON · Source · Estimate

40 researched factors
Factor	Typical value in India	Source
National Minimum Wage	$26.44/hour, $1,004.90/38-hour week from 1 Jul 2026 (Annual Wage Review 2026)	business.gov.au
Award rates rise	Modern award minimum rates up 4.75% from 1 Jul 2026 (covers about 2.8M workers)	squirepattonboggs.com
Unskilled day wage (basket)	$211.52 ($26.44 × 8 h, permanent; casuals get +25% loading = $264.40)	Derived from P01
Minimum monthly wage, full-time (basket)	$4,355 ($1,004.90 × 52 / 12)	Derived from P01
Casual loading and penalty rates	Casual loading 25%; retail/hospitality awards pay about 125–150% on Saturdays, 150–175% Sundays and 225–250% on public holidays	fairwork.gov.au
Typical café/shop helper pay	About $33–$36/hour casual (award level 1–2 plus casual loading)Estimate	Est.: General Retail and Hospitality a…
Superannuation guarantee	12% of ordinary time earnings; from 1 Jul 2026 must be paid with each pay run (Payday Super), reaching funds within 7 days	ato.gov.au
State payroll tax and workers' comp	Payroll tax only above state thresholds (NSW $1.2M wages at 5.45%), so irrelevant to micro-businesses; workers' comp insurance compulsory, about 1–3% of wages for retail/hospitality	revenue.nsw.gov.au
Shop rent, T1 (Sydney suburban strip)	$6.2/sq ft/month (about $800/sq m/yr gross)Estimate	Est.: suburban Sydney strip-retail lis…
Shop rent, T2 (Newcastle)	$3.1/sq ft/month (about $400/sq m/yr gross)Estimate	Est.: Newcastle/Hunter shop listings t…
Shop rent, T3 (Dubbo)	$1.9/sq ft/month (about $250/sq m/yr gross)Estimate	Est.: regional NSW town listings typic…
Electricity, small business (NSW Ausgrid area)	About $0.33/kWh usage + $1.66/day supply (Ausgrid flat-rate DMO cap 2026-27); NSW small-business DMO fell 9–11% from 1 Jul 2026Estimate	canstar.com.au
Petrol (ULP)	About $2.20/L in NSW, Oct 2026 (Perth averaged 235–245¢ in Oct 2026; Sydney about 209.5¢ in Mar 2026)Estimate	consumerprotection.wa.gov.au
LPG cylinder (basket)	About $42 for a 9 kg BBQ-gas swap (45 kg commercial bottle about $180–$200)Estimate	Est.: 9 kg swap prices were $33–$38 in…
Takeaway coffee (basket teaCup)	$5.00 regular flat white/cappuccino in Newcastle (Sydney $5.50–$6)Estimate	Est.: cafés moved to $5–$6 a regular c…
Cheap meal (basket simpleMeal)	$18 burger, kebab or café lunchEstimate	Est.: fast-food meal $14–$17 and café …
Men's haircut (basket)	$35 at a barber in a regional cityEstimate	Est.: barber price lists $30–$45 in 20…
Milk and bread (basket)	Milk about $1.65/L (2 L supermarket brand about $3.30); white loaf about $3.00Estimate	Est.: Coles/Woolworths own-brand price…
Sole trader vs company	Sole trader: free ABN, $47 business name, profit taxed at personal rates (tax-free threshold $18,200). Pty Ltd: $636 registration + $342/yr review, 25% base-rate entity tax	business.gov.au
GST registration threshold	$75,000 annual turnover; 10% GST; quarterly BAS	ato.gov.au
GST-free basic food	Fresh bread, milk, meat, fruit and veg GST-free; hot food, restaurant meals, snacks and soft drinks taxable	ato.gov.au
Instant asset write-off	$20,000 per asset instant write-off made permanent from 1 Jul 2026 for turnover under $10M	business.gov.au
Food handler training (Standard 3.2.2A)	Category 1 and 2 food businesses must have a certified Food Safety Supervisor and trained food handlers (since Dec 2023)	foodstandards.gov.au
Food truck approvals	NSW: council approval and inspection where based, plus permission for each trading site; VIC: Streatrader statewide registration; fees about $300–$1,500/yr plus event pitch feesEstimate	foodauthority.nsw.gov.au
Liquor and tobacco	State liquor licences (NSW small bar/on-premises from about $500 + annual fees); tobacco retailer licensing now required in NSW, VIC and other statesEstimate	liquorandgaming.nsw.gov.au
Card surcharge ban	Surcharges on eftpos, Visa and Mastercard debit, prepaid and credit banned from 1 Oct 2026; debit interchange capped at 8¢, consumer credit at 0.3%	rba.gov.au
Card processing fees	Square 1.6% per in-person tap/insert; bundled terminals 1.1–1.9%; least-cost (eftpos) routing can cut debit fees	squareup.com
Cash use	Cash about 13% of in-person transactions (2022, down from 70% in 2007); many cafés card-only	rba.gov.au
Tipping	Not expected; small tip jars only; prices include GSTEstimate	Est.: award wages are high and tipping…
Public holidays and trading restrictions	About 10–13 public holidays by state; restricted trading days (Christmas, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Anzac Day morning) for larger shops	fairwork.gov.au
Single-use plastics bans	All states ban lightweight plastic bags; most ban plastic cutlery, plates, straws and polystyrene food containers (NSW from Nov 2022, extended 2025)	epa.nsw.gov.au
Small business support	No national startup loan scheme; state grants vary; Small Business Debt Helpline and business.gov.au advisers free	business.gov.au
Income per head	GDP per capita about $105,000 AUD; average full-time weekly earnings about $2,050Estimate	abs.gov.au
Urbanisation and language	About 86% urban, two-thirds in capital cities; English, with large Mandarin, Arabic, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Punjabi speaking communities	abs.gov.au
Bushfire and smoke	Dec–Feb in south-east: road closures, evacuations, smoke days and tourism cancellations in affected regions	bom.gov.au
Flood	East-coast floods (e.g. Northern Rivers 2022, Hunter/mid-north coast 2025) close shops for days to weeks and raise insurance premiums	bom.gov.au
Tropical cyclone	Nov–Apr in QLD, NT and northern WA: shutdowns, power loss, supply-chain delays	bom.gov.au
Heatwave	Extreme heat days (40°C+) cut foot traffic, spoil stock and spike power demand; outdoor stalls lose trade	bom.gov.au
Fuel price spike	Oct 2026 Perth ULP jumped 10¢ in a week to 245.4¢; 2026 oil shock pushed east-coast prices above 200¢	consumerprotection.wa.gov.au
Most-searched small-business types	Café/coffee van, food truck, cleaning business, mobile dog grooming, bakery, hair/beauty salon, lawn mowing, car detailing, vending machines, NDIS support servicesEstimate	Est.: recurring Australian 'how to sta…

Business ideas in Australia

Our 30 researched guides use Indian numbers. Australia-specific guides are being researched; the simulator can already use Australia wages and prices.