Businesses struggling to remain competitive will be forced to put up the cost of their products and services and families already struggling to pay the bills will be hit with an extra $515 a year on the cost of living thanks to Labor's carbon tax.

Master Builders Queensland executive director Graham Cuthbert described the carbon tax as “a disaster” for the building industry and the public. “Our figures show the cost of building the $300,000 family home will go up by around $8000,” he said. (Cairns Post, online, 11 July 2011).

And this tax will go on hurting us - reducing living standards, costing thousands of Queensland jobs and destroying the very industries that have fed our economy.

The carbon tax will result in a:

$9 billion a year new tax;
10% hike in electricity bills in the first year alone;
9% percent hike in gas bills in the first year alone;
higher marginal tax rates for low and middle income earners; and
$4.3 billion hit on the federal budget bottom line.

All this for no environmental benefit since emissions will just shift offshore and at a time when we have record levels of debt which will continue to burden future generations in crippling interest repayments.

The CanDo LNP team opposes the carbon tax. We will stand up against Canberra, and fight for Queensland jobs and businesses.

The LNP wants to hear from small business owners across Queensland about the biggest issues facing their business and the burden of government red tape.

Shadow Minister for Tourism, Manufacturing and Small Business Jann Stuckey started the survey to see what business owners would like to see changed, particularly regarding State government regulations.

Queensland has the highest amount of legislation and regulations compared with every other state in Australia - over 80,000 pages. This quick, 5 minute survey is your chance to have your say.

Click here to download a copy of the survey

New Work Health and Safety Bill may cost jobs

I am concerned that Queensland businesses already struggling with onerous red tape and high compliance costs will now face a new set of regulations and codes of practice with effect from 1 January 2012 due to Labor's Work Health and Safety Bill which passed through Parliament recently.

I support having safe workplaces but I'm concerned about the implications of yet more red tape on small business and particularly the cost to small business of implementing these new regulations and codes of practice.

The construction industry has estimated that the model codes of practice which range in size from about 20 to 120 pages and the model regulations which contain 582 pages of new prescriptive requirements will have a significant impact for those operators who are not multijurisdictional and are just operating in Queensland.

Are these government bureaucrats completely unaware that many industries, such as the construction industry, are gutted?

On the Sunshine Coast we are seeing jobs leaving the area and businesses close, a story repeated in many other struggling regional communities. To quote the Urban Development Institute of Australia Sunshine Coast President —we’ve lost 14,000 workers in two years, including 2,500 in the last quarter alone.

People are struggling. Businesses are closing. Red tape is not helping.

I will continue to fight for a fair go for small business.

Click here for more information on the Scrutiny of Legislation Report

Click here to read my speech in Parliament

Click on the link below to have your say or contact my office on 5443 7995 to make an appointment to meet with me.

Click here to have your say >