Where do jobs and growth come from?

If businesses are successful, they invest in buildings, vehicles, advertising, communications, websites and IT services, accountants, solicitors, and the list goes on, and that will generate jobs and growth.

Many business people in Australia today are asking this question. It seems that our politicians, while being vocal about jobs and growth, don’t seem to realise that this is only going to happen if Australian businesses make it happen.

The politicians can’t do it themselves. We need legislation that provides a competitive and level playing field for all Australian businesses – to make sure that they are not disadvantaged against overseas companies, who are quite happy to dump products and services here without any concern for the survival of local businesses and the jobs for Aussies they provide.

Those overseas companies are only concerned about their own survival and jobs for their people. Many business owners in Australia are saying that our politicians seem to be concerned only about their own jobs and not of others. If they did care about us, they couldn’t possibly just keep letting things happen as they are today.

They would be getting together to actively make sure Australian businesses are successful. They would also be making sure that Australian businesses get a shot at all government business as a matter of priority. If Australian companies quote too much for construction jobs, roads, products and services, we need to work with them to show they are not being competitive and find out why, rather than to give the jobs to overseas companies.

If businesses are successful, they invest in buildings, shop fitouts, vehicles, forklifts, advertising, communications, websites and IT services, accountants, solicitors, business coaches, signwriters, security, office equipment, carpets and tiling. The list goes on.

That’s what you call an investment in GROWTH. If businesses can compete on a level playing field they then survive, thrive and create jobs for Aussies. That’s called JOBS.

If we all know that the system is simple, why aren’t the pollies, both federal and state, and local government councillors not doing everything possible to make it as easy as possible for businesses to get on with doing business?

More business in Australia means more GST income for the states, more company taxes for the federal government and more income taxes from the working families of Australia. The governments can then pay their debts and reinvest the surpluses into providing the needs of Australians, like health and education including infrastructure development – roads, transport, power, water, among others.

Why, then, do we have a legislation in place today that favours overseas companies over Australian companies – when people import goods from overseas and don’t have to pay customs fees, duty or GST, if they are under $1000, the case for the majority of imports.

Why do councils make it hard for people who want to start up businesses by continually throwing a spanner in the works? They should be backing them to make sure their projects get approvals as soon as possible by helping and not hindering them to resolve issues. After all, every new commercial building or planning approval would mean another new business, thus more jobs and growth.

We need politicians to openly come out and prove to us that this theory is wrong. Because we need to know who is holding back our states and our country from moving forward. There simply isn’t any reason for a lack of confidence and all the negative talk we are all hearing day in and out.

We want politicians who are prepared to get off their backsides to make sure we have a near-perfect environment to do business in, as that, and that alone, will ensure Australia and its people a future.

Eddie Peters, Managing Director, The Honda Shop