A Telstra board member has accused the "big end of town" of arrogance, ignorance and naivety.
"It seems to me that business generally has completely missed the major shift of political opinion in this country when it comes to environmental issues," Mr Cousins told The Australian on Tuesday.
"The suggestion that the government ought to ignore all the important environmental issues and pay much more attention to the really important people who are really controlling the country - namely those people who are 'driving the economy' - is a hopeless and misguided view."
Mr Cousins said that business had complained that Labor had not consulted enough over new taxes and that both sides of politics were absorbed by carbon tax debate and ignoring the key issues such as industrial relations and tax reform.
While Mr Cousins conceded the Gillard government did not talk to business "nearly enough", the former advertising executive said it was in part business's own fault.
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Mr Cousins said that politicians were always going to listen to the voters rather than the people who think they "drive the economy".
The business attitude was misguided and unprofessional, he added.
A business confidant to former Prime Minister John Howard, Mr Cousins campaigned against the Gunns pulp mills in Tasmania and is currently lobbying to move a proposed
