Release Date: 19/07/2013
SINCE the State’s peak business organisation, the Tasmanian Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (TCCI) joined with the national Chamber movement to
launch its pre-election initiative Small Business: Too Big To Ignore, more than
40,000 Australians have registered their support on the campaign website.
TCCI Chief Executive Michael Bailey said this major show of support was a
vindication of what the Chambers had been saying to political leaders, that they
would ignore small business at their peril.
Mr Bailey said it was heartening to hear Prime Minister Kevin Rudd talk about the
importance of the business community soon after his recent return to the top job.
“But actions speak louder than words, and so far the only group consulted has
been big business. What about the needs of the other two million businesses in
Australia?
“That's why it's so frustrating for small business to see Workplace Relations
Minister Bill Shorten continually amending the Fair Work Act to make it even
harder and more costly for employers to give unemployed Australians a job.
“That is particularly relevant in Tasmania where we have the highest
unemployment in the nation and the highest percentage of small businesses, but
restrictive work practices discourages business from taking on new employees.
“There are some parts of Tasmania where youth unemployment has reached 30
per cent and higher, but nobody in government seems to connect this shameful
fact with the regulations that make it so hard to give these young people a job.”
Mr Bailey said governments needed to remember that they are elected to govern
for all the people and not just for the mates in the union movement or other vested
interests.
“The inflexibility of workplace relations will be one of the key issues that we want to
discuss at our jobs crisis meeting on 7 August.
“If we can achieve some changes, then perhaps we can stop further job losses and
even create some new opportunities.
“In the interim, the TCCI will be talking to its members and consulting with key
businesses and we will continue to tell our politicians about the adverse impact of
restrictive work practices and legislation in the real world.
“Small business owners are risk takers by nature, otherwise they wouldn't put their
homes on the line every day. They aren't looking for favours from government, just
a fair go so that they can grow their businesses and employ more Australians.
It is worth considering, if every small business in the nation was able to employ just
one extra employee, we would have zero unemployment in Australia. In Tasmania,
we would actually have to bring in workers!”
The Small Business. Too Big to Ignore campaign is focusing on four main areas
that the next Federal Government must focus on: cutting down red tape, making it
easier to employ people, simplifying the tax system and building better
infrastructure.
“We intend to keep the campaign going in Tasmania right up to the State Election
in March.
“The campaign has given a voice to a large part of the voting public that has been
ignored for too long. Thankfully, those days are now over and governments are on
notice,” Mr Bailey said.