Local employers urge voters to support small business this election

Mackay Region Chamber of Commerce today announced a new effort to remind residents that small business is a big deal in the lead up to the May election.

The Small Business is a Big Deal campaign features real local business leaders and workers in an attempt to bring employers and employees closer together, instead of driving them apart.

“There are groups - we all know who they are - who are trying to make business a dirty word,” said Chamber President, Victoria Gracie. “The truth is that most business owners care deeply about their staff and we would all be worse off without the jobs they create.”

“Small and medium businesses are not banks. They’re not making super profits, and many are at real risk of having to lay people off if the pressure doesn’t ease up.”

Official government data shows the average small business owner takes home $67,000*, only slightly more than the average Australian worker. Despite this, the small business sector is what keeps locals in jobs; more than half of all workers in the Mackay Region owe their job to a small business.

Ms Gracie advised Mackay Region voters to think twice before they vote to “kill the goose which lays the golden eggs”.

“For every region business owner who’s doing well, there’s another who is giving themselves a pay cut so that a worker doesn’t have to go home and tell their family they’ve lost their job,” Ms Gracie said.

Small employers and employees are being encouraged to visit http://www.supportsmall.org.au/mackay to get a free Small Business is a Big Deal sticker for their shopfront or work car, and use a specially designed social media frame to tell their own story on Facebook.

“We’re not the kind to march in the streets, but we really hope that everyone who runs, works in, or cares about our local small businesses will share our positive message and make it known they think small business is a big deal too,” Ms Gracie said.

The campaign will push for three specific pro-small policies - reasonable wage increases, lower power prices and better training for local jobseekers.

Contact : Victoria Gracie – 0405618142

Chrissy Evangelou - 0417203530

* Source