How to Set Up a Corporate Register in Australia

If you have been asked to “set up the corporate register,” the job is simple in theory and easy to get wrong in practice.

You are not just creating a folder.

You are creating the company’s internal source of truth: who owns it, who runs it, what shares exist, what decisions have been made, where the official records are kept, and whether the internal record matches the ASIC record.

This guide explains what to include, how to structure it, and how to keep it current.

Quick answer: what should a corporate register include?

For an Australian company, a practical corporate register should include:

• company details: ACN, ABN, registered office and principal place of business
• current and historical directors, secretaries and officers
• register of members or shareholders
• share classes, share issues, transfers and cancellations
• minutes and resolutions
• constitution or replaceable rules position
• ASIC annual review details and company statements
• ASIC lodgement history and supporting documents
• register location and inspection process
• evidence for each change

ASIC maintains public company information, but the company still needs its own internal records.

Step 1: Create the company profile

Start with one profile for the company. Record:

• legal company name
• ACN and ABN
• registration date
• company type
• jurisdiction
• registered office
• principal place of business
• review date
• ASIC corporate key location or access owner
• internal record owner

This profile becomes the front page of the register. Anyone should be able to open it and understand the company’s current position.

Step 2: Add source documents

Attach the documents that prove the starting record:

• certificate of registration
• current company extract
• constitution, if adopted
• initial consent to act forms
• initial share issue documentation
• initial meeting minutes or resolutions
• shareholder agreement, if relevant

Do not separate the documents from the register. A register without evidence is just a table.

Step 3: Set up the register of members

The register of members is one of the most important parts of the corporate register.

Record for each member or shareholder:

• full legal name
• address
• date they became a member
• date they ceased, if applicable
• share class
• number of shares
• amount paid and unpaid
• transfer or issue history

If there are multiple share classes, do not just list total shares. Record the rights and restrictions attached to each class or link to the document that sets them out.

Step 4: Set up officer records

For each director and secretary, record:

• full legal name
• appointment date
• cessation date, if any
• residential or service address
• consent to act evidence
• ASIC lodgement reference, where applicable
• related entities or other appointments, if important for the group

The practical risk is drift. A director change may be approved, filed with ASIC, updated in one spreadsheet, but never reflected in the main register. Your process should make one person responsible for closing the loop.

Step 5: Create the minutes and resolutions record

Keep board and member decisions in sequence.

At minimum, record:

• meeting date or circular resolution date
• attendees or signatories
• decision made
• entity affected
• documents approved
• filings triggered
• person responsible for follow-up
• completion status

This is where “governance” becomes practical. A decision should not disappear after the meeting. If it changes the company record, the register should be updated.

Step 6: Reconcile the internal record with ASIC

Check that the internal register matches the ASIC record for:

• company name
• registered office
• principal place of business
• directors and secretaries
• share structure, where applicable
• annual review status

ASIC’s guidance on changes to company details is the starting point for common updates. Your internal register should show not only what was lodged, but the evidence that supported the lodgement.

Step 7: Add the compliance calendar

Add future obligations into a calendar or action list:

• annual review date
• solvency resolution timing
• ASIC fee due dates
• director or officeholder change deadlines
• registered office change deadlines
• licence or insurance renewals
• tax and reporting dates
• review dates for registers and documents

A corporate register is not complete if it only shows current facts. It should also show what needs to happen next.

Step 8: Define the update process

Write a short process for common changes:

• appointing or removing a director
• changing an address
• transferring shares
• issuing shares
• changing the company name
• updating the registered office
• approving annual review documents
• uploading a signed resolution

For each process, define:

• who approves the change
• what evidence is required
• whether ASIC must be notified
• who updates the internal register
• who checks completion

This prevents the most common failure: the filing happens, but the internal record does not update.

Common corporate register mistakes

Using ASIC as the corporate register

ASIC is not a substitute for the company’s internal records. ASIC shows filed information. It does not hold your full evidence pack, minutes, approvals, share transfer history or internal accountability trail.

Keeping current records but no history

A register must show how the company got to its current state. If you can see the current shareholder but not the transfer history, the record is incomplete.

Splitting records across spreadsheets and folders

If the shareholder register, director list, minutes, ASIC filings and documents all live in different places, nobody has the complete picture.

Forgetting inspection readiness

Corporate records may need to be inspected or provided during financing, due diligence, audits, disputes or regulatory requests. If the register cannot be produced quickly, it is not really under control.

How to avoid cannibalising other pages

This article is specifically about setting up the corporate register.

It is not the same as:

• a company registration guide, which explains how to create the company
• an ASIC compliance checklist, which tracks deadlines and filings
• an entity management software page, which explains the broader system for managing many entities
• a board management page, which focuses on meetings and board materials

The corporate register is the record layer. Other pages should link here when the reader needs register setup detail.

Where software helps

You can set up a corporate register manually for a simple company.

Software becomes useful when:

• you manage multiple entities
• officer or shareholder changes happen often
• registers need to match ASIC records
• documents and resolutions must be tied to each change
• legal, finance and compliance all need access
• audits or transactions require fast evidence packs

EntityFlo helps teams maintain corporate registers as part of the broader entity record. The register, documents, ASIC details, obligations and action history sit together, so changes do not get lost between systems.

Practical checklist

Use this checklist to set up or clean up the register:

• create the company profile
• attach registration and governing documents
• record directors and secretaries
• record shareholders and share classes
• add issue and transfer history
• store minutes and resolutions
• reconcile with ASIC
• add annual review and filing dates
• define the update process
• assign an internal owner

If those ten things are complete and maintained, the corporate register is doing its job.

FAQ

Is a corporate register required in Australia?

Australian companies must maintain required company records and registers under the Corporations Act. The exact records depend on the company and its structure, but member, officer, decision and company records should be maintained and kept current.

Is the ASIC register the same as the company register?

No. ASIC holds public registry information. The company still needs internal records that show members, officers, decisions, documents, supporting evidence and history.

Who should own the corporate register?

Usually the company secretary, legal team, finance team or external adviser owns it. The important point is that someone must be accountable for keeping it current.

Can a corporate register be digital?

Yes. The practical requirement is that records are complete, accurate, accessible and maintained. A digital register is often safer than spreadsheets if it has access control, version history and evidence attached.

What is the difference between a corporate register and entity management software?

A corporate register is the record for a company. Entity management software manages the broader process across many entities: registers, officers, shareholders, documents, filings, obligations, ownership and audit history.