We Need To Have Confidence
FEDERAL small Business Minister Mark Arbib urged traders at a Blacktown conference to have confidence in the economy despite figures indicating otherwise. ‘‘I’m sick and tired of people running this economy down and saying how bad things are going in Europe and that it’s going to flow on to Australia,’’ he said at the Business Enterprise Centre breakfast at Blacktown RSL Club on Thursday. ‘‘That’s the worst thing that could happen in Australia. We need to have confidence in this economy … and we should be confident. When you look at Europe and America, we have strength. We came through the global financial crisis.’’
But Sensis Business Index author Christena Singh said an indication of consumer confidence — the sale of cars — fell 4.3 per cent in NSW in December.
However, data collected from Sensis Business Index showed there was a solid increase in household consumption across Australia. Sensis data revealed the chief concerns of small and medium enterprises operators were lack of work (18 per cent), economic climate (16 per cent), cash flow (including bad debts was 11 per cent), competition (8 per cent) and finding and keeping staff (7 per cent).
Sixty-seven per cent disagreed with a carbon tax while 27 per cent agreed.
About 80 people attended the event.
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