The two men who want to be the next NSW treasurer have clashed in a debate, while promising to help businesses amid a warning that whoever takes over treasury post-election will be dealing with a $11.4 billion deficit.
The head-to-head contest between Treasurer Matt Kean and Labor treasury spokesman Daniel Mookhey was held in Sydney on Thursday at a gathering hosted by Business NSW ahead of the election on March 25.
Mr Kean promised not to raise taxes for small businesses and guaranteed firms in the sector that had a government contract would be paid within five working days.
He labelled the man pitching for his job a "unionist" and doubled down on claims that raising the public service wage cap would blow the budget.
Mr Mookhey accused his opponent of lowering the bar of public debate, dubbing him a "showman".
He promised Labor would legislate a charter with small business and establish a business bureau to provide greater access to government and its agencies.
Mr Kean said the opposition's plan to pave the way for public servant pay rises would mean the private sector faced more competition for workers.
"Imagine what happens when you're competing against the might of government and the public service," he said.
Mr Mookhey said a Labor government would address the troubled icare system as businesses faced a 40 per cent rise in workers' compensation premiums by the end of the year.
"We have to confront what's going on with the workers' compensation system," he said.
"Businesses will not survive if icare is not fixed."
Mr Kean said the solution to addressing workers' compensation was getting people back to work sooner by dealing with mental health challenges.
Asked about public service wage caps, Mr Mookhey said a Labor government would open up pay discussions in the same way they occurred in the private sector.
"I just want to do what Coles and Woolworths can do which is to sit down with our workforce and figure out how we can deliver services better and that does mean having good conversations with people about their pay and conditions," Mr Mookhey said.
More than a quarter of businesses said they would likely close if nothing changed during the next term of government, according to research by Business NSW.
Higher wage demands were of huge concern to businesses that responded to the study and more than 30 per cent said they would consider cutting staff or going into debt if they were to survive.
Most businesses rated themselves as having just enough activity to survive the year, identifying the greatest challenges as rising business costs and taxes, worker shortages and supply chain issues.
