ELECTION 2010: SMEs back Coalition in SmartCompany poll

The Coalition is the clear favourite in the 2010 Federal election amongst the SME community with 72% of business owners saying they would vote for the Coalition, according to the SmartCompany poll taken yesterday.

The survey of 214 small and medium business owners shows 28% will vote for Labor. When asked which party has the best policies for SME, 72% of respondents nominated the Coalition.

This is in contrast to the 2007 election where a similar poll by SmartCompany showed that 35% would vote Labor.

There were five big issues for SMEs ahead of the poll:

Industrial relations:

The poll also revealed that industrial relations remains a huge issue for the SME sector, with 81% saying the parties should be prepared to make changes to industrial relations laws.

Their main complaint about IR is that the laws are too complicated, not flexible enough, allow too much union involvement and provide no incentives to employ more staff. Some SMEs were also angry about penalty rates for weekends and public holidays, saying they may have to close on those days as they cannot afford to operate.

Environment:

The issue of an emissions trading scheme divided the SMEs with 51% saying that if either party implemented an emissions trading scheme it would “negatively affect their vote for that party.” But 49% believe it would have a positive impact on their vote.

Some business owners in the anecdotal comments mention they are concerned about climate change and the environment. Others are concerned about the uncertainty that comes with a lot of debate but no firm policies.

“Give Australians a clear vision for climate control and pollution for the next decade,” says one respondent.

Finance and tax:

Accessing finance is now a major concern, with many SMEs saying that the concentration of the four big banks is a big concern. They want easier access funding and affordable business loans. Others are concerned about the skills shortage, the ageing population and keeping the over 50s in the workforce.

When SmartCompany asked about the remaining issues that affected the SMEs, tax reform emerged as a main issue. There are concerns about the mining tax being bad for business, treatment of contractors and further reductions in company tax. As one respondent noted: “Tax cuts mean nothing as few SMEs are making a profit!” There is also growing concern about the cost of superannuation

Immigration

Surprisingly immigration emerged as a key concern. There seemed to be some resentment from small business owners doing it hard while immigrants jump the queue and are receiving “handouts.” A number of the SMEs commented that small business was a hard slog, that was not recognised by either party nor assisted through tax incentives.

Most of the SMEs who responded to the poll are watching the election closely with only 23% saying the election outcome will not affect their business. In fact, 10% feel it will have a big impact, 40% say it will have some impact and 27% say it will only have a small impact.

Lack of leadership

The biggest grumble though throughout the poll is one that is echoed through the general population. As one respondent said: “There have been way too few policies mentioned.” And this: “Neither party is showing any initiative and having the guts to govern. They are both consumed by focus polling. Both parties need to reinvent themselves.” And another: “True leadership, not spin.” And finally: “Plleeeeease give us someone worth voting for and that includes Abbott.”