Australians could be forgiven for thinking that the new Minister for Small Business Mark Arbib is out of his depth.
The ALP “faceless man” was given the ambitious portfolio of Minister for Small Business, Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Sport one month ago. But since then, he has done nothing publicly to support Australia’s almost three million small businesses. It is unbelievable that a so-called Minster for Small Business would stay silent over Christmas and new year, the most important season for retail, the largest sector of Australia’s small business community.
Whether it is excessive red tape, such as the hundreds of pages of new OH&S regulations that Labor is seeking to impose, or the impending carbon tax, Senator Arbib has not said a word publicly or put out a press release on these issues. And he has continued to write about sporting issues on Twitter, but is yet to engage with the many small business people who use social media. When he was appointed to the position, The Australian Financial Review noted that Senator Arbib had retained the sports portfolio as an excuse in order to go to this year’s Olympic Games.
ARBIB’S REAL INTERESTS
Not only has the Labor Government failed to fit the small business portfolio into their historically large cabinet, but the Prime Minister has appointed an uninterested minister to the important role. Australia’s small businesses deserve better.
The Coalition didn’t take its foot off the pedal over Christmas and the new year’s break, and I continued to hold the Government to account on its wasteful spending and on some concerning multiple voting figures.