- Small business owners account for 14 per cent of Australian voters
- The most marginal seat in the country is Herbert (0.02 per cent)
- 35 per cent of small business owners still undecided on how they will vote
With Sensis reporting 35 per cent of small business owners are still undecided as to how they will cast their vote on May 18, the Council of Small Business Owners Australia (COSBOA) has revealed the top 20 marginal seats in the lead up to the federal election.
Small business owners make up 14 per cent of the nation’s voters. Peter Strong, CEO, COSBOA said there are many issues that concern small business owners and it is vital the major parties understand the important contribution of small business. While small business owners will not simply place a vote based on their business concerns, Strong suggests it would be foolish to ignore their voting power in marginal seats.
“For example, in the electorate of Wentworth, NSW where the margin is 1 per cent, they make up 22.19 per cent of the voters. In Corangamite, VIC where the margin is 0.03 per cent, they make up 10 per cent. In Herbert, QLD with a margin of 37 votes they make up 9.25 per cent of voters, roughly 10,200 people,” said Strong.
While both major parties have come out strong with policies in support of small business in the past few weeks, including faster payment times, tax breaks and better access to justice, Strong says the best way to engage the small business voter is to talk to them as people not as a business.
“We value time with our family; the removal of complexity; the ability to focus on our business and our employees not on unnecessary compliance; and on fairness in dealings with big businesses and governments. We want to run our businesses and stay healthy. Not all of us want to grow to become a large business but we do want the economy to be stable; and those that do want to grow, want access to finance and support when needed,” concluded Strong.
The top 20 marginal electorates with the percentage of small businesses
Electorate | State | % Margin | % Small Businesses |
Herbert | QLD | 0.02 | 9.25 |
Corangamite | VIC | 0.03 | 10.02 |
Forde | QLD | 0.6 | 11.46 |
Capricornia | QLD | 0.6 | 11.38 |
Gilmore | NSW | 0.7 | 9.13 |
Cowan | WA | 0.7 | 13.00 |
Longman | QLD | 0.8 | 8.26 |
Wentworth | NSW | 1.0 | 22.19 |
Flynn | QLD | 1.0 | 13.74 |
Dunkley | VIC | 1.0 | 11.27 |
Lindsay | NSW | 1.1 | 10.24 |
Robertson | NSW | 1.1 | 10.89 |
MacNamara | VIC | 1.2 | 28.33 |
Cooper | VIC | 1.3 | 12.39 |
Banks | NSW | 1.4 | 12.66 |
Griffith | QLD | 1.4 | 16.44 |
Petrie | QLD | 1.6 | 8.80 |
Dickson | QLD | 1.7 | 10.56 |
Braddon | TAS | 1.7 | 9.03 |
Hasluck | WA | 2.1 | 11.70 |
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