(b) That's wrong. Before 28 May 2012, there were separate state and territory registers of business names. Since 28 May 2012, a national registration service has come into effect, administered by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). This means that there is now only one national register of business names in Australia. The business names that were previously registered in the separate state and territory registers have been transferred to this national register.
The national system allows persons conducting a business to connect to the ASIC website to check the availability of the name they want, register, renew or change their business name, pay the prescribed fee and, in most cases, receive immediate confirmation of their registration. Once registered, the business name appears on the public register so people can determine the ABN, and name of the individual, company, registered body or other organisation behind the business name.
The information in the relevant registers is publicly available, so it is easy to look up the details of any registered business.