The Rudd Government's stimulus is providing a much-needed boost to small business confidence according to the latest Sensis Business survey released today, Small Business Minister Dr Craig Emerson said.
The survey titled "Business most optimistic about economic outlook in 13 years" reports strong support for the Rudd Government’s policies.
"The Rudd Government has been in office for less than two of those 13 years", Dr Emerson said.
"Yet small business is more optimistic under the Rudd Government's policies than at any time during the previous Coalition Government.”
The survey says small and medium enterprises felt the stimulus had encouraged spending as had tax rebates for business investment.
But the report goes on to say that "improvements in confidence and expectations have been stronger than the improvements in actual performance, so there are still risks to the sustainability of the current economic recovery".
"Yet a backward-looking Coalition wants to withdraw the stimulus, pulling away vital support from small businesses and destroying small business confidence", Dr Emerson said.
"Sir Robert Menzies, in founding the Liberal Party, described small business owners as the forgotten people.
"The Turnbull-led Liberal Party had forgotten small business owners but Rudd Labor will continue to support them through these difficult economic times.”