Dutton’s pitch to small business to drive Coalition’s economic policy agenda

The Opposition Leader has committed the Coalition to unpicking Labor’s industrial relations reforms, boosting competition and lifting the nation’s stalling productivity performance.

Peter Dutton said that small businesses would be enshrined at the heart of his economic agenda. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Peter Dutton will frame the Liberals as the “party of the worker” as well as of “small and family businesses” in a key speech committing the Coalition to unpicking Labor’s industrial relations reforms, boosting competition and lifting the nation’s stalling productivity performance.

In an address on Wednesday to the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia, the Opposition Leader will set out the key principles that will guide his economic policy development leading into the next election.

He will also accuse Labor of abandoning small business owners and workers to lock-in the interests of “inner-city elites, big business, union bosses, industry super funds and woke advocates.”

“Because of the voice debate, the government made the cost-of-living crisis a second order of business. The Coalition would never have run such a divisive, costly, and distracting referendum,” he will say.

Peter Dutton has accused Labor of abandoning small business owners and workers. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

In an advance copy of the speech obtained by The Australian, Mr Dutton invoked the legacy of Liberal Party founder and former prime minister Robert Menzies to promote what he called a “back-to-basics economic agenda” to rein in inflationary spending, lower taxes and boost productivity.

Mr Dutton said that small businesses would be enshrined at the heart of his economic agenda and vowed to “wind-back excessive government intervention” including Labor’s industrial relations reforms.

“We will look to make our industrial relations system simpler and cooperative – removing the complexity and hostility brought back by Labor at the behest of its union paymasters,” he said.

He argued the Coalition would seek to drive sustainable wages growth by lifting productivity and driving the economy forward, accusing Labor of calling for wage increases “knowing someone else always foots the bill.”

Mr Dutton said that lowering the cost of energy was central to increasing Australia’s competitiveness and productivity performance, arguing that Labor was pursuing a “renewables only” policy and “pushing us over an energy cliff.”

“The reality is that businesses are going offshore,” he said. “We will end up having to import commodities and products from overseas at a much higher price.”

“I want us to build green steel, to have value added to our raw materials, and to grow our resource and defence industry sectors, among others,” he said. “But these goals cannot be achieved without cheap, consistent and clean power.”

He said this was why a Coalition government would ramp-up domestic gas production and embrace the “latest nuclear power technologies.”

“A Rolls-Royce two-hectare, 470-megawatt nuclear small modular reactor delivers the same output as 4000 hectares of solar panels,” he said.

Mr Dutton once again urged business to speak out about the need for stronger economic leadership.

“I meet with CEOs and chairs in private who vigorously express their frustration about the government’s damaging policies. Yet in public, their comments lack the same vigour,” he said. “Our economy is in a precarious position. This is not a time to be silent or supine. I believe there is a moral imperative for CEOs to contribute to these important debates.”

“I will continue to speak up for everyday Australians. I would encourage more business leaders to do the same – to speak up in the national interest.”

COSBOA chief executive Luke Achterstraat said that small businesses were facing a “layer cake of new regulation and compliance”.

“As more and more changes are made to our system whether it is IR, the privacy act, and other reporting requirements, it takes time away from small businesses to actually do business,” he said.

“We’re hoping over the next two days our summit really digs into what a right-sized regulatory system looks like to help small business not only survive but thrive.”