In an earlier blog I expressed my disappointment that the Small Business Portfolio had been taken away from Bruce Bilson in the first Turnbull ministry as it removed an elected official from an area of responsibility he was passionate about and in which he was actually achieving some seriously good results.
That move however has been proven to be a prelude of things to come from this Prime Minister as is evident from the ministry that has just been sworn in – the Small Business portfolio has now had its status relegated and now sits in the outer ministry.
I think you’d have agree there wouldn’t be too many clearer ways to indicate small business is not a priority for this government.
This is a real shame as the Liberal Party in particular has, on numerous occasions, espoused how small business was the life blood of the economy and how this community had to be supported and encouraged to prosper.
This principal now seems to have been completely abandoned.
While this portfolio downgrading is not a good sign, further characteristics of the new cabinet give reason for even great pessimism for the small business community.
Again one of the core principles of the Liberal Party had been a belief in unobtrusive small government imposing as little red tape as possible to allow the commercial sector the greatest opportunity for success.
The Turnbull government’s cabinet that has just been sworn in is the largest since that of the Whitlam government of the 1970s.
Surely this is an environment that will allow for more government interference and more red tape for businesses to deal with. Once again hardly a set of circumstances small business owners across the country will be crowing about.
Malcolm Turnbull himself has tried to downplay the situation claiming every cabinet minister has the responsibility to consider small business within the context of their portfolios every day of the week.
He may well believe this spin but I’m pretty sure most members of the public won’t buy it.
There seems to be no doubt the Prime Minister has shown his true colours in regard to small business and they aren’t encouraging.
Darin Tyson-Chan, founder and publisher of Benchmark Media.