Ask a librarian

Companies in Australia

Find current and historical information about Victorian and other Australian companies.

Subject librarian

Profile Photo
Daniel Giddens
he/him
Contact:
Contact me via our online reference service citing my name and the title of this guide

Welcome

This guide will help you to find information about or related to current or historic Australian companies. 

State Library Victoria holds many resources including books, directories, annual reports, financial records, statistics and databases to assist you. Additional free online resources have also been provided where relevant. 

Use the tabs across the top of the page for more information and instruction. To request items from the collection held in storage, sign up as a member. If you are a Victorian resident, you can also access many of our subscribed online resources with your membership. 

Good Luck with your research. 

Some things to consider when you are researching a company

  • Is the company publicly listed or privately run?

Public companies can be listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). This allows the public (shareholders) to invest in them.  Because of this, information on public companies is often easiest to find; they are subject to auditing, and required to provide detailed information on the company’s performance on a regular basis, including company announcements, financials, an annual report and by holding an annual general meeting (AGM).

Private companies in comparison, are not required to release any information about their business, which makes them more challenging to research. As of June 2024, there were over 2.6 million businesses trading in Australia, with just over 2,000 listed on the ASX (Sources: https://bit.ly/3Yz15Ce and  https://www.listcorp.com/asx).

  • What you consider to be a company name, may instead be a brand, trade name or subsidiary.

For example, Peter Alexander is part of The Just Group, Bunnings is part of Wesfarmers, and Coles supermarkets has had a few parent companies over time.

  • Are you looking for historic or current information?
  • Are you seeking basic factual (who, what, when, where) or more detailed information (such as a company’s operating environment or financial position)?

Both of these questions may determine the source or part of a source to consult. For example an annual report, stock information, newspaper article, company history, telephone directory, or website.

  • In general, to establish the veracity of any information you find, consult more than one source.

A note on searching the web

You can also search for company information using your favourite search engine.

Even the smallest businesses usually have websites.

However, it is important to remember, businesses use websites for marketing and promotion, so the information provided will have a positive outlook.