Shadow Minister Media Releases
Small Businesses Have No Confidence In New Premier (10/03/2010)
Small and medium businesses in NSW continue to distrust the State Labor Government following the appointment of Kristina Keneally as Premier.
The Shadow Minister for Small Business and Member for Ballina, Don Page, said the latest Sensis Small Business Index published in March 2010, showed support for the NSW Government was the lowest of any State or Territory.
“Premier Kristina Keneally shouldn’t be shocked by the news because the State Government has recorded the lowest support levels in any state or territory for 23 out of the last 24 quarters,” Mr Page said.
“For the Government of the State that describes itself as the ‘engine room’ of the Australian economy this is an disastrous record to have.
The Sensis Small Business Index for March states: “A view among SMEs (small to medium enterprises) was there was too much bureaucracy; concerns about payroll tax; and a feeling they did not know what the NSW Government was doing were the key reasons given by SMEs for feeling the Government in New South Wales was not supportive of small business.”
“How many more poor performance reports will it take for the NSW Government to acknowledge it is failing small and medium enterprises?
“That’s why the NSW Liberals and Nationals have been pushing for a cut of up to 20% in payroll tax to drive jobs and growth,” Mr Page said.
“The NSW Labor Government’s incompetence has been holding this State back. For example, unemployment is above the national average and the tax take is the second highest in Australia but we don’t have first class infrastructure to show it,” he said.
“There are more than 650,000 small businesses in NSW employing more than one million people and for five and a half years they have been telling the Government they do not have confidence in it.
“The latest Sensis Small Business Index demonstrates clearly how arrogant and out of touch Kristina Keneally and the State Government is with small businesses in NSW,” Mr Page said.
