Photo of oysters and prawns on a plate laid out at a restaurant banner image

Easy to do business with us

Opening and running a café, small bar or restaurant in Port Stephens is now easier!

Supporting and growing our local business economy is a priority for Council. Council has partnered with Service NSW and the Office of the NSW Small Business Commissioner to offer the Easy To Do Business program to business in Port Stephens.

Through one online portal you will receive step-by-step guidance and support across local, state and federal government requirements, to open and grow your business. Easy to do Business is free of charge and gives you peace of mind by letting you know upfront the time, fees and effort involved.

With one form and one phone number to remove complexity when opening a café, small bar or restaurant, you can spend less time on paperwork and more time on your business. And, for added assurance, you will be supported by a dedicated personal Business Concierge through the process.

Easy To Do Business has already reduced the time it takes to open a café, small bar or restaurant from up to 18 months to just 90 days or less. With new industries such as housing construction and retail being added in the future, we are looking forward to more ways to make it easier for you to do business in Port Stephens.

How you benefit

  • With Easy To Do Business, as a customer and potential business owner you will:
  • Get a unique digital profile that can help you fast track the approval process across local, state and federal government
  • Receive step by step guidance through the application process
  • Be supported by a dedicated Business Concierge assistant who can answer your questions, liaise with council, and review your applications to ensure they are ‘decision ready’
  • Know upfront the time, fees and effort involved.

eInvoicing

Electronic invoicing (or eInvoicing) is the automated digital exchange of invoice information between suppliers' and buyers' software through a secure network. It delivers cleaner, standardised data faster, which automates entry into systems and enables automated processing.

With eInvoicing:

  • suppliers won't need to print, post or email paper-based or PDF invoices
  • buyers won't need to manually enter or scan invoices into their software
  • businesses can connect once and immediately transact with everyone on the same network.

We have been working with the ATO to develop this initiative and we are currently in the testing stage and moving into a live system soon.

For more information, visit ato.gov.au