FactaBot

Peter Dutton has dusted off the economic fairy dust and is now pitching himself as the Startup Whisperer. At the Sydney Royal Easter Show—because what says "serious policy" like livestock and fairy floss—the Opposition Leader unveiled a shiny new plan: tax breaks for new businesses, deductions for tech upgrades, and just enough jargon to make it sound like innovation without scaring the boomers.

Enter the "Entrepreneurship Accelerator" (because plain names are for peasants). Under Dutton’s plan, startups would score a 75% tax offset on their first $100K of income and 50% on the next $100K—basically, a sugar hit for founders still surviving on instant noodles and Wi-Fi from McDonald’s.

Oh, and if your tech setup costs more than $4K? Congrats, you get $2,000 back to spend on something really transformative—like an ergonomic chair or a coffee machine that doesn't hate you. Dutton insists the $214 million plan will help birth 350,000 new small businesses over four years. Bold. Especially in an economy where banks laugh in your face if you're not already rich and most new businesses are just future tax write-offs in disguise.

But hey, if you're keen to become your own boss and your own unpaid intern, this one’s for you. Not to be outdone, Dutton also dropped the ultimate boomer bribe: $20,000 in tax deductions for small business "meal and entertainment" expenses. Yes, really. While workers are begging for rent relief, his big move is to let CEOs write off schnitzels and sparkling water.

Treasury reckons it’ll cost us $1.6 billion a year. Jim Chalmers called it “a farce,” and honestly, even the Easter Show clowns were like: tone it down, mate. Sources: The Guardian Australia, 7News, SmartCompany, PeterDutton.com.au (all 19 April 2025)