Shadow Minister Media Releases
Survey Says NSW Government Worst In Australia (5/03/2009)
The latest Sensis Business Index survey shows the State Government still has the highest dissatisfaction level among small and medium sized business of any Australian Government, Shadow Minister for Small Business, Don Page said today.
Respondents to the survey blamed their dissatisfaction on the NSW Labor Government’s internal problems and its taxation policies, particularly payroll tax.
“This is the 20th quarter in succession (i.e. 5 years) that this Labor State Government has had the lowest level of support for a state or territory government across the nation,” Mr Page said.
“Business is saying they have no confidence in the Labor State Government. This is consistent with many in the community who have also lost confidence in this Government,”
“This survey gives the lie to the excuse offered by Premier Rees that his Government’s woes are the result of the global crisis.
“For five years, business has had the lowest level of support of any Government in Australia. In other words, the NSW Labor Government’s problems preceded the global economic crisis by 4 years!
“Small and medium businesses have every justification for their lack of confidence,” Mr Page said.
Unemployment is at 5.4%, the second highest in the nation and 23,000 people have lost their jobs in NSW in the past 6 months alone! The NSW economy shrank last quarter.
“More businesses in NSW are pessimistic about their future than are confident, whereas this position is reversed for the nation as a whole,” he said.
Mr Page said the NSW Coalition had proposed at least three policy measures to be implemented:- reduce payroll tax by 15%; halve the waiting time for major infrastructure development approvals; and for Government to pay their bills to businesses within 30 days. Currently there are 75,477 late invoices averaging $1,749 each, not paid, which severely affects cash flow for small and medium business,” he said.
