Corporation name requirements
The name of a corporation must include one of these sets of words:
- Aboriginal Corporation
- Torres Strait Islander Corporation
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation
- Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal Corporation
- Indigenous Corporation.
Corporation name requirements for RNTBCs
If a corporation is prescribed (named) in a native title determination as the body corporate that will look after native title interests on behalf of the common law holders of native title, that corporation’s name must include the words ‘registered native title body corporate’ or ‘RNTBC’.
Other requirements for names
The CATSI Act says that a corporation’s name:
- must be available
- it can’t be identical to a name on the business names index (available from asic.gov.au)
- it must be acceptable, that is it can’t be undesirable or offensive, and it can’t contain a restricted word.
See our policy statement for more on the CATSI Act requirements for corporation names and a list of restricted words.
Do I need to register a business name?
If your corporation does business using its legal corporation name you don’t need to register that name as a business name. But if your corporation does business using a name that’s different from your legal corporation name you should register the business name with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). Find out more about registering a business name on the ASIC website.