Malcolm Turnbull would be better for SMEs than Kevin Rudd: SmartCompany poll

Just a day after he seized the Liberal leadership from Brendan Nelson, entrepreneurs have given Malcolm Turnbull a resounding vote of confidence.

Just a day after he seized the Liberal leadership from Brendan Nelson, entrepreneurs have given Malcolm Turnbull a resounding vote of confidence.

SmartCompany’s reader poll, which attracted 129 responses, revealed a massive 86% of small and medium business operators believe Malcolm Turnbull will make a better Opposition leader than Brendan Nelson.

There is a strong belief among entrepreneurs that Turnbull will give SMEs a good hearing, with just over 80% of respondents saying he will be good for small and medium business.

In a blow to the Labor party’s standing with the business community, a whopping 83.7% believe Turnbull will be better for small and medium business than Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

This would tend to indicate a big shift in the mood of SMEs from last year’s election. A SmartCompany poll taken in February revealed that about 30% of respondents voted Labor and these voters were resoundingly pleased with the Rudd Government’s performance in its first few months in office.

While small and medium business operators have traditionally been strong Coalition supporters, it stands to reason that Turnbull’s image as an investment banker and friend of big business may have counted against him with some SME voters.

Not so. Just under 60% of respondents said Malcolm Turnbull’s image as a wealthy businessman would not harm his chances of winning the next election in 2010.

It appears SMEs have clearly thrown their weight behind the new Opposition leader.

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