Senator Lundy was today critical of the Federal Government’s commitment to small business saying it was a shame that Liberal Government’s policies for small business wasn’t stronger on substance and lighter on rhetoric.
“Geoff Prosser, Minister for Small Business, is addressing a seminar in Canberra today designed to increase the skills of small business operators. I’ll be interested to read the Minister’s comments because it is an up-hill battle to be a thriving and expanding small business operator in the ACT with this Government’s policies.
“According to Prosser, small business will be the ‘engine room of economic growth’ under the Liberal Government. But what economic growth? They have just stripped $4 billion out of budget spending which will slow economic growth by 1/2 a percentage point over the next financial year.
“The Government’s ‘package’ for small business consists entirely of the Workplace Relations Bill. But the small business operators who appeared before the senate committee investigating the bill told senators that industrial relations was the least of their concerns.
“The present award system provides a level playing field for all businesses. No matter how small the business is, they can be confident that all similar businesses are required to pay their employees the same. There is no unfair advantage. Competition then becomes contingent on marketing and performance.
“The Government’s industrial relations changes just increases the red-tape and bureaucratical procedures for small businesses. Not only will employers have to draw up a contract for each employee and monitor the wages paid by their competitors, they will have to offer each of their employees a selection of five different superannuation funds to choose from. We could see each employee choose a different fund and the small business operator having to manage payments to several different funds. It is ridiculous.
“I shall be interested to see whether the Minister for Small Business, Geoff Prosser can offer small businesses in the ACT more than he has offered publicly in the House. With one job at risk for every three public sector jobs cut, we need vision and leadership for the ACT, not hollow words from the Liberal Government.
