Sunday 1 September 2013 - After six years in Government Labor would have you believe it supports small business.

Under Labor the only certainty small business will have is that it can expect more of the same.

Labor's divisions and dysfunction, the impact of a carbon tax; the avalanche of 21,000 new and amended regulations; disinterest in competition issues and revolving door of Ministers have sapped small business of any sense that Labor understand the sector's needs or support enterprise.

Under Labor we now have 3,000 fewer employing small businesses and the share of private sector employment provided by small business employers has dropped from 53 per cent to well under 50 per cent since Kevin Rudd was first elected Prime Minister and he seems to have learned nothing over the last six years.

Only the Coalition has a real plan for Australian small businesses

The Coalition will create more jobs in small business.  We will:

·         abolish the carbon tax;

·         cut $1 billion in red and green tape costs every year;

·         reduce the company tax rate by 1.5 per cent to a new rate of 28.5 per cent;

·         reject Labor’s $1.8 billion FBT hit on cars;

·         undertake an independent ‘root and branch’ review of the competition framework;

·         extend unfair contract protections for small business;

·         defer by two years the increase in compulsory employer-funded superannuation;

·         help small business attract good workers by providing their employees with access to the Coalition’s landmark paid parental leave scheme;

·         remove from small business the requirement to administer the government’s paid parental leave scheme;

·         protect the rights of independent contractors and the self-employed;

·         improve small business access to government contracts;

·         ensure government agencies pay all small business bills within 30 days;

·         provide small business with a voice on economic bodies;

·         establish a new Small Business Ombudsman – and specifically work on improving big business “fair commercial conduct”;

·         work with the financial sector to improve access to small business finance;

·         refine the national Franchising Code;

·         implement our policy to Boost Productivity and Reduce Regulation; and

• ensure small business gets a seat at the B20 forum.