It has been a disappointing weekend for small business in Australia. The government is set to give big media companies valuable free kicks, because of the “challenges” faced by those companies.
Of course, the media companies love the financial benefits they are gaining. And there appears to be little opposition outside of government – because the media companies can make or break you.
What made the announcement disappointing is all the bleating about the budget deficit. Yet here they are able to give more away to big business mates. And at a time when independent and small business retailers are confronted by extraordinary structural change, for which they receive no government support. Indeed, politicians have stood by and watched as Tatts forced small business newsagents to overcapitalise the lottery side of their business.
Small business makes a greater contribution to the economy yet we are ignored, except at election time. More fool us for being sucked in.