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Australia isn’t just one of the best places in the world to live, it’s also an exceptional place to launch and grow a business. Whether you’re a sole trader, a startup founder, or running a scaling enterprise, the Australian business landscape offers unique advantages that help entrepreneurs thrive.
We work with plenty of growing entrepreneurial businesses and because of that, have seen first hand how being in Australia can be of benefit. So, we thought we’d put together seven reasons why building a business in Australia is a smart move.
Australian entrepreneurs enjoy generous government support, from small business grants to industry-specific programs. Initiatives such as the Entrepreneurs’ Program and various state-based rebates provide valuable financial and advisory assistance to help businesses start, grow, and innovate.
Australia’s strong governance and consistently resilient economy create a fertile environment for long-term ventures. Even in uncertain global climates, the local market provides entrepreneurs with confidence to invest and grow.
With one of the highest internet penetration rates globally and a booming eCommerce scene, Australia is primed for digital-first businesses. This digital connectivity makes it easier than ever for entrepreneurs to reach, engage, and service customers.
Located close to Asia yet still aligned with Western markets, Australia enjoys a unique time-zone advantage. Businesses here can connect with clients and partners across multiple continents in the same working day, opening doors to global opportunities.
Australians are early adopters with a taste for new ideas. From technology to wellness to financial services, local consumers are quick to embrace innovation — making Australia an excellent testing ground for entrepreneurs bringing bold new solutions to market.
Compared to many countries, Australia offers streamlined business setup processes, straightforward GST systems, and company tax incentives. These structures particularly benefit small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) looking for efficient ways to start and scale.
No entrepreneur builds success alone. Partnering with the right accountant or business advisor helps ensure compliance, unlocks tax efficiencies, and supports smarter financial decision-making, so you can focus on running and growing your business.
Final Word
Being an entrepreneur is never without its challenges, but in Australia, the support and opportunities are hard to beat. With the right idea, mindset, and professional advice, your business journey can thrive here. And support with your tax and strategic approach? You can get that with Attune Advisory.
If you’re thinking of starting or scaling your business, Attune Advisory is here to help. Let’s talk about what we can do for you … Call us on 1300 866 113 or get in touch here to speak with an expert.
Running a restaurant is tough work — long hours, tight margins, and constant surprises. But tax time doesn’t have to be one of them. Here are our top tax tips tailored for Australian hospitality and food business owners.
Restaurants have unique tax deductions, and knowing what qualifies is critical. Common claimable items include:
• Food and beverage inventory (cost of goods sold)
• Cleaning and kitchen supplies
• Uniforms and laundry costs (if branded or required)
• Staff training and courses
• POS systems and subscriptions (e.g. Lightspeed, Xero)
• Marketing and design costs (menu updates, signage, digital ads)
These smaller deductions add up quickly, so it pays to track them carefully. Part of what we do for clients at tax time, is ensuring deductions are both compliant and create the best outcome for the business.
Need a new oven, fridge, or fit-out improvements? The instant asset write-off lets eligible businesses immediately deduct the cost of assets up to the current ATO threshold (we’d suggest you speak with the Attune team about this prior to purchasing, as there may be new considerations to include in the purchase). That means you can invest in your business while reducing your taxable income in the same year.
Payroll is one of the biggest compliance hot spots in hospitality. The ATO looks closely at:
• Superannuation contributions (must be paid on time, quarterly)
• PAYG withholding (must match wages and be lodged monthly or quarterly)
Falling behind here can trigger penalties quickly. Automating payroll and super processing, or outsourcing, can save both time and stress. If you’ve been in business a while, you may even benefit from a payroll auditing service to ensure everything you’re doing is as it should be. Speak with the Attune team and we can point you in the right direction for compliance-sake.
Receipts fade fast and no one wants to chase down paperwork during tax time or any other time for that matter. Use tools like Dext or Hubdoc to scan and store receipts digitally. That way, you’re always audit-ready and lodgement time is much smoother.
Restaurants experience natural peaks and slowdowns. Use this seasonality to your tax advantage:
• Make large purchases just before year-end to boost deductions
• Defer income (legally) during busy months if you’re on a cash basis
• Stay ahead of Q4 super obligations before the summer rush
Smart timing can make a big difference in managing cash flow and tax. The Attune team are strategic thinkers, so if you’d like to discuss what a strategy might look like for your business, get in touch and we’ll guide you through it.
Hospitality has its own tax quirks, from tipping rules to staff meals and fringe benefits. A specialist advisor here at Attune Advisory can help you:
• Choose the right structure (sole trader, company, or trust)
• Optimise cash flow and compliance
• Avoid common ATO audit triggers and much more
The right guidance means fewer surprises and more time to focus on what matters most: running a business people love to visit.
With planning, systems, and the right support, you can reduce costs, stay compliant, and focus on growing your restaurant without headaches at every tax lodgement.
So, if you need help with BAS, payroll, or tax planning, let’s talk. Attune Advisory works with restaurateurs and food businesses every day and we’d love to help yours. Get in touch via email here or give us a call on 1300 866 113 – you'll be glad you did.
If you’re a company director in Australia, your role carries more than just strategic weight, it carries legal responsibility. That responsibility now includes personal liability for unpaid company taxes like PAYG, GST and superannuation.
The ATO’s Director Penalty Regime has become a key enforcement tool and the risk is growing. As of 2025, we’re seeing more clients caught out by Director Penalty Notices (DPNs) due to late lodgements or underreported liabilities.
Understanding what triggers a DPN and how to act if one lands in your inbox, is essential for protecting your personal and financial position.
A Director Penalty Notice (DPN) is a formal notice issued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to make a company director personally liable for certain unpaid company taxes. These typically include:
• PAYG withholding
• Superannuation Guarantee Charge (SGC)
• GST (from April 2020 onwards)
In essence, if a company fails to meet its tax obligations, the ATO can pursue directors individually to recover the debt, even if the business becomes insolvent.
There are two main types of DPNs and they carry very different consequences:
Lockdown DPN
• Issued when a company fails to lodge its BAS or Superannuation Guarantee Statement (SGS) within the required timeframe.
• If this happens, the director is automatically and personally liable for the debt.
• The only way to remit (remove) the penalty is to pay the debt in full even if the company is placed into administration or liquidation.
Non-Lockdown DPN
• Issued when the company has lodged its returns on time but hasn’t paid the tax owing.
• In this case, the director has 21 days from the date of the notice to take action:
o Pay the debt,
o Appoint an administrator,
o Begin winding up the company.
If none of these actions are taken within the 21-day window, the director becomes personally liable.
DPNs bypass the usual legal protections offered by a company structure. Directors may believe they’re shielded from personal liability but, DPNs change the game.
Once a DPN is issued, the ATO can:
• Garnish a director’s personal bank account or wages,
• Register a judgment debt against them,
• Begin legal proceedings for recovery.
This can have long-term effects on a director’s financial position, credit rating, and ability to serve on other boards.
As a director, it’s your responsibility to ensure the company meets its tax obligations even if you’re not involved in the day-to-day finances.
Here’s what we recommend:
Lodge on Time — Even If You Can’t Pay
Timely lodgement protects you from lockdown DPNs. If you can’t pay the full amount, work with your accountant or advisor to set up a payment plan, but don’t delay reporting.
Review Your Company’s Tax Position Regularly
Make tax compliance a regular agenda item. Review lodgements, upcoming obligations, and cash flow implications before they become problems.
Act Quickly on ATO Notices
If you receive a DPN, time is of the essence. You have just 21 days to take corrective action and ignoring the notice could leave you personally on the hook.
Understand Your Exposure, Even if You’ve Just Been Appointed
New directors can also become liable for historical debts if they don’t act within 30 days of their appointment. Always conduct due diligence when joining a company.
At Attune Advisory, we work closely with business owners to ensure compliance and minimise risk. Whether it’s keeping your lodgements up to date, forecasting liabilities, or helping navigate complex ATO communications, we’re here to support you every step of the way.
If you’ve received a DPN or are concerned about potential liability, don’t wait. Early advice can make all the difference.
Book a confidential consultation with our advisory team today.
We’ll help you take control, stay compliant, and protect your future.
So if you’d like advice on a DPN or your tax debt risk, give the team a call on 1300 866 113 or contact us here to start the conversation.
At Attune Advisory, we’re not just keeping pace with the change, we’re helping our clients leverage it. Here are four accounting trends to watch in 2025, and what your business can do to stay ahead.
Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept, it’s here, and it’s making a real impact on Australian businesses. From automating reconciliations to predicting cash flow and detecting anomalies, AI-powered tools are changing how accountants and finance teams operate.
This shift isn’t about replacing people; it’s about enhancing capability. Automation frees up time, reduces human error, and allows finance professionals to focus on higher-value strategic thinking like scenario planning, forecasting, and advisory work.
What you should do with it:
Review your current systems and workflows. Are there manual processes that could be automated? Could you be extracting more insights from your numbers? Tools like cloud-based accounting platforms, AI-assisted analytics, and integrated dashboards are no longer optional, they’re essential to stay competitive.
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors are no longer reserved for listed companies or large corporates. Investors, regulators, and even customers are increasingly asking businesses of all sizes to demonstrate transparency and responsibility and ESG reporting is becoming a key mechanism to deliver that.
From carbon emissions to employee wellbeing, ESG reporting requires businesses to track and disclose performance beyond the profit line.
What you should do with it:
Start embedding ESG into your strategy now. Whether it’s reducing your environmental footprint, supporting community initiatives, or strengthening governance practices, a strong ESG framework can enhance your reputation and open up new funding and partnership opportunities.
At Attune, we can help you build simple, practical frameworks to measure and report on ESG performance, tailored to your size, industry and growth plans.
With the ongoing reform of the Privacy Act and heightened awareness around cyber risk, data security is a top concern for every business, especially those handling sensitive financial and personal information.
Accounting systems are a prime target, and it’s critical to ensure your software, processes, and team are all equipped to keep your data safe.
What you should do:
If you haven’t reviewed your data security protocols recently, now’s the time. Use multi-factor authentication, conduct regular access reviews, ensure your cloud storage complies with Australian standards, and consider a cyber health check, especially if you’ve scaled quickly or adopted new systems. Having the right data security in place isn’t as costly as it once was and therefor is becoming far more accessible (and assessable) than ever before.
With all these changes, the role of your accountant is evolving too. Forward-thinking businesses are no longer just looking for help at tax time, they’re engaging accountants as strategic partners, guiding decisions, identifying risks, and planning for growth.
Virtual CFO services, real-time forecasting, performance monitoring, and scenario planning are fast becoming the norm, not the exception.
What you can do:
If your current advisor isn’t helping you plan ahead, it may be time to explore new support. At Attune Advisory, we combine deep technical expertise with hands-on strategic advice to help our clients grow with clarity and confidence.
Staying ahead means embracing change, not resisting it. From tech and compliance to ESG and advisory-led thinking, the opportunities are there and the time to act is now.
Want to explore how these trends could impact your business? Speak to the team at Attune Advisory. We’ll help you prepare, plan, and power forward.
Give the team a call on 1300 866 113 or contact us here to start the conversation, your future-self will be glad you did.
