Great question and one that many small business owners have.
Have you spoken to your accountant about this – if you plan to stick with your accountant over the life of the business you should choose what he suggests – as your accounting bills should be cheaper as he is handling software he knows.
My next question, is what sort of business do you have?
Final quastion – what do you want from your software package? Do you need POS (Point of Sale), do you have inventory? do you have staff on payroll? international transactions? warehouse issues?
The most widely used software in Australia is MYOB. I as mentioned by another respondant am a MYOB Certified Consultant (thanks for the praise!) so I am biased towards that product.
Because it is widely used, it will be easier to find competent/expereinced staff to work on your MYOB datafile.
You can download all versions, and try them for free for 3 months. You can enter data, create invoices, monitor your financials for 3 months, before you need a cash outlay.
You can also purchase the very basic product – Business Basics for about $150 – and as your business grows upgrade in stages to a package suitable for a medium size business!!
I suggest you check out prices at umart online, office works, and Harris Technology, as they normally have the best prices.
The ideal answer will depend on your answer to my first three questions.