Labor has again resorted to its old tactic of trickery and scaremongering rather than doing anything positive to support Australian small businesses.
Labor had no interest in small business when in Government and now relies on completely false and baseless claims to seek media attention.
In his mischievous and inaccurate press release, Labor’s Bernie Ripoll makes outrageous false claims. He asserted: “The Abbott Government has reneged on its commitment to Australian small businesses that it would cut red tape, promised just two weeks ago.” – Media release, 16/12/14.
This claim is completely false.
We remain committed to our plan to expand the Small Business Superannuation Clearing House as announced in my media release of 26 November 2014.
This measure will benefit an additional 27,500 small businesses.
Mr Ripoll is obviously confused and hasn’t paid enough attention to the details in MYEFO. If he managed to read the statement carefully, he would have noted in MYEFO “the Government will not proceed with the former Government’s plan to extend the SBSCH to medium sized businesses”.
The availability of alternate efficient clearing services and the introduction of SuperStream makes Labor’s planned intervention unnecessary and unwise.
The Abbott Government said it would cut a $1 billion of red-tape out the economy and we have exceeded that by cutting more than $2 billion to date.
It was Labor in 2007 that promised a ‘one-in one-out approach’ to red-tape reduction. Sadly Labor failed to live up to this promise with 21,000 new or amended regulations and only a fraction of that number repealed.
The actions we are undertaking including, such as scrapping the carbon tax, signing historic free trade deals with China, Japan and Korea, established the $484.2 million Entrepreneurs’ Infrastructure Programme, providing $304.1 million over four through the Restart Programme and implementing a dedicated small business support line within Fair Work show we are the only government who is a friend to the hardworking women and men of Small Business.
The Labor Government didn’t have a dedicated Small Business Minister in Cabinet and indeed they couldn’t even keep anyone in the Small Business portfolio.
Labor couldn’t be trusted with the economy in Government and they’re still proving so in Opposition, showing an inability to properly read MYEFO.
Mr Ripoll’s highly inaccurate and misleading media release is a shameful reflection on how Labor sees Australian Small Businesses - as a political pawn.