Dear Mr Abbott

I write to you as a small business owner who despite the odds, succeeded in opening two new businesses in the midst of the global financial crisis.  I have 31 staff, 2 of them permanent and 29 of them casual.  It has been a great joy to employ these young people and bring employment and first jobs to many of them in our local community

I have invested $350,000 in one new business and $90,000 in the other.  No small investment for a mother of four young children.  If I fail, we lose our house.  I was hoping that by the end of our first year of trade we would be ‘breaking even’.  I work six days a week in the business and on the seventh day I tackle the paperwork.

This week Ms Gillard’s new award system ‘kicks in’. 

I have spent many sleepless nights in the last weeks wondering how I am going to keep the staff I have, especially those over 20 years of age, in their jobs.  I do not believe I will be able to trade on Sundays, but closing that day will make meeting my weekly sales target impossible to sustain the rent. I really wonder how my business is going to survive.  Even Saturdays, it will now be hard to break even.

I am now to pay over $25 an hour for a student to make milkshakes or coffee on a Saturday and almost $27 an hour on a Sunday.  I cannot pass these costs on to my customers.  Am I to tell guests that instead of $3.50 for a coffee on Saturdays these will cost them $3.90 and on Sunday $4.50?

Every time one of my staff has a birthday, I will now have to consider – can I still afford them.  With anyone over 19, that answer will be ‘no’.

Six months from now when University students can no longer find weekend work to fit around their study, when cafes close because they cannot achieve what is being asked of them and only those who continue to run the gauntlet and ignore the awards remain, someone will realise what a terrible mistake has been made. 

I urge you to assess immediately how these new awards are going to affect small business. Please.

Sincerely Yours,
Brisbane Small Business Owner

AND HIS REPONSE:

Thank you for your email to the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon Tony Abbott MP.

Your views will be brought to Mr Abbott’s attention.

It is vital that the Coalition knows what people are thinking so that we can represent the interests of all Australians, and present people with a credible and inspiring alternative at the next election. 

Sadly, the Rudd-Gillard Government has broken many of the promises they made to the Australian people in 2007 and have become a government which is all talk and no action.

You can be assured that in this election year, the Coalition will continue to announce achievable and deliverable policies for Australia’s future.

If you would like to read more detailed policy information including our 12 point “Action Contract” please go to www.liberal.org.au/.

Thank you again for taking the time to pass on your thoughts.