In the lead-up to the 2025 Federal Election, Inside Small Business is breaking down what the major parties have promised to deliver across some key areas of interest to small businesses.
Earlier this week, we summarised the key tax changes that major parties have promised entrepreneurs. We also outlined the ways they’re planning to cut red tape for small-business owners.
In this article, we’re looking at how the major parties will cut your operating costs. Here are the promises they’ve made in the lead-up to this election:
Labor:
$150 energy rebate: Labor has extended its energy rebates into next financial year – though this one will be a $150 energy rebate. About one million small businesses will be eligible.
Cheaper battery installation for small businesses: Under this scheme, SMEs would get 30 per cent off the cost of installing a new battery.
Labor has also announced cost-of-living measures to put some money back into business owners’ pockets: a 20 per cent reduction in student debt, an expansion of bulk billing, a modest tax cut over three years for all taxpayers.
Though these measures don’t decrease the cost of doing business per say, they may free up some more business capital for the many entrepreneurs who self-fund their ventures.
Coalition (LNP):
$12,000 wage incentives for apprentices: The Coalition has promised to provide small and medium businesses with $12,000 towards hiring a new apprentice or trainee – though this will apply only “in critical skill areas”, focussed in the building and construction sector.
Fuel savings: For those businesses who use vehicles, the Coalition is promising $14 a week in savings across a 12-month period. The measure is its answer to Labor’s promise of $536 in tax cuts over two years, which the Opposition refused to support.
Reducing transaction frees: The party has pledged to mandate least-cost routing to help businesses reduce transaction fees.
The Coalition has also pledged cheaper energy through gas – its answer to Labor’s energy rebates and renewable energy push.
Both parties:
Freezing draught beer excise indexation: Both the LNP and Labor say they will freeze the biannual indexation of excise duty for draft beer from August 2025, reducing operating costs for sellers.
As the election nears, small-business owners will be weighing these promises carefully. Inside Small Business will continue to unpack what each party’s platform means for Australia’s SMEs.
