Have Your Say in The Bottom Line Small Business Survey
I’m calling on local small business owners to “get it off their liver” and share the real challenges affecting their businesses.
I have launched The Bottom Line: Small Business Reality Survey to put the experiences of regional business owners at the centre of policy development and my future advocacy in Canberra.
Governments have become too comfortable telling businesses how they should operate instead of listening to the people who take risks, create jobs and keep regional communities alive.
Too often, governments think they know best. They regulate more, tax more, ask businesses to fill out more forms and then wonder why productivity has stalled.
Every successful small business owner knows that if you don’t listen to your customers, you won’t be in business for long. Governments should learn the same lesson.
Supporting the businesses that support our communities
Small businesses are far more than economic statistics.
They create local jobs, support local families and play a vital role in keeping our towns and communities thriving.
They are the people who employ our neighbours, sponsor the local football club, donate to school raffles, support charities, coach junior sport and volunteer in our communities.
They are the backbone of our local towns, yet too often they feel as though they are treated as an afterthought.
What the survey covers
The survey asks business owners about the issues affecting their ability to grow, employ more people and remain profitable, including:
rising operating costs
workforce and skills shortages
housing availability
infrastructure
energy prices and reliability
taxation
regulation and government red tape.
It also includes a dedicated “Get It Off Your Liver” section, giving business owners the opportunity to speak candidly about the frustrations and barriers they face every day.
I don’t want another glossy report that sits on a shelf.
I want to hear directly from the people living these challenges so we can identify practical reforms which improve productivity, reduce unnecessary burdens and make it easier to run a business.
Turning feedback into action
The survey will help guide my future advocacy in Canberra and inform a local Small Business Roundtable focused on developing practical solutions for our region.
Policy should be built from the ground up, not imposed from the top down.
Small business owners understand risk because they live it every day. They invest their own money, employ local people and carry the responsibility of keeping their businesses afloat.
Governments should spend less time assuming they know what is best and more time listening to those who are creating jobs and growing our economy.
I’m encouraging every small business owner across the Lyne electorate, from the Hastings to the Hunter, to take part. This includes sole traders, family businesses and larger local employers.
The more businesses which participate, the stronger our case will be for policies that help local businesses thrive.
Take the survey
The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete.
Survey: The Bottom Line: Small Business Reality Survey
Closing date: Friday 28 August 2026
Privacy: Individual responses will remain confidential.