The federal government should stop procrastinating and call the election to give more certainty to business, shadow treasurer Joe Hockey says.
Mr Hockey was responding to a National Australia Bank (NAB) survey showing business conditions have slumped to the lowest level in four years, despite lower interest rates and a falling Australian dollar.
"The uncertainty about the election timing is clearly having an impact on an already fragile Australian economy," he told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday.
"Australia can no longer afford to have a government that is procrastinating about an election."
NAB also said the outlook for business activity remained worrisome, with forward orders, stocks, employment conditions and capacity utilisation all below historical averages.
Australia was due to hold the election on September 14. But the return of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has upset that certainty and the poll could instead be held in August or October.
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