WHEN I’m out and about in the electorate one of my favourite things to do is to speak with small business owners.
It was an honour to attend the Beenleigh Yatala Chamber of Commerce AGM this morning (Friday, Sept 20) and gauge the temperature of our local businesses and see how they are doing.
They’re part of the lifeblood that makes Forde so great.
They employ our kids, support their community and make things tick.
But moods have changed. Conversations are more sombre than they used to be.
The incumbent governments at both Federal and State levels like to spruik how much they’re giving to you. Tax cut for every taxpayer, electricity rebates etc. We’ve heard the slogans.
But it’s simply a case of giving with one hand and taking back with the other. It’s their attempt at sleight of hand.
Twelve interest rate hikes since May 2022 is taking a toll – both on homeowners and business owners.
I can’t talk to a single business owner who doesn’t tell me they’re drowning in red tape and bureaucratically complex nonsense.
I was lucky enough to meet with Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson during the last sitting week in Canberra.
He wasn’t glowing about the health of Australian small businesses.
Since Labor formed Government, electricity costs are up 14 per cent – even after rebates – and gas is up 33 per cent.
Australian small businesses now pay among the most expensive energy bills in the world.
Council of Small Business Organisations Australia, just very recently, confirmed what many small and family business owners knew in May – the Albanese Government’s $325 energy bill relief band-aid will barely have an impact.
Since Labor took office, Australia has 85,000 fewer apprentices and trainees. That’s a loss of one in five.
New training starts have dropped by 39 per cent across the board.
New starts for construction apprentices have dropped from record highs of 54,035 in 2022 under the Coalition to 41,935 in 2023 under Labor – a 22 per cent drop.
The Howard Government did a great job in articulating the Liberal Party’s support for Aussie “battlers”.
Because of an Albanese led Government – people have never battled harder. Businesses have never had to battle harder.
More than 11,000 small businesses in Australia became insolvent in 2023/24 alone.
The LNP’s economic plan will rein in wasteful spending while delivering lower taxes and supporting small business.
The Coalition will, unlike Labor, expand the Instant Asset Write-Off to assets valued at $30,000 and less.
We will wind-back Labor’s interventionist approach and remove regulatory roadblocks. We will condense approval processes.
We will revert to the former Coalition Government’s simple definition of a casual worker and create certainty for our 2.5 million small businesses.
We will deliver competition policy which gives consumers and smaller businesses a fair go.
A Dutton/Littleproud LNP Government will get Australia and our economy back-to-basics and I believe that is good for you and for our businesses.
