The fight for the small business vote has started in earnest, with Liberal Party leader Tony Abbott pledging a minister for small business in the federal cabinet and the introduction of an ombudsman if duly elected.

Should the Coalition win power, Mr Abbott will appoint Bruce Billson as minister for small business in the cabinet, serving as a policy activist and working across all levels of government.

The Opposition leader will also introduce a dedicated small business, family and enterprise ombudsman to help them ''get through the tangle of rules''.
Still in an attempt to win the small business, Mr Abbott said, "In the end, the best thing that government can do for small business is create a sound and strong and prosperous economy, and the key for small business in particular ... is low and stable interest rates."

''We will do that through the high road of cutting government expenditure rather than through the low road of increasing taxes on business, which is what this government is doing, most notably through the new mining tax.''
The current Small Business Minister, Craig Emerson, meanwhile, said his government's 12-month interest-free arrangements on debts to the Tax Office, which aided thousands of small businesses in enduring the crisis, would be continued until July 1, 2011.

Addressing the National Small Business Summit in Brisbane yesterday, Mr Emerson announced the extension, including a further deferral of activity statement payments, would cost $55 million.

''We think that is money well worth forgoing in order to keep those small businesses who are viable but are still struggling throughout these economic times,'' he said.