Don't leave us in crossfire, business says

Big business is calling on both sides of politics to lend its support and face up to the harsh realities of budget deficits and slow wage growth.

After a long and close election, Business Council of Australia president Catherine Livingstone has flagged pursuing smaller-scale and practical reforms and wants politicians to stick to a consistent message.

"(Business) doesn't need to be caught in crossfire in a partisan way such that it ends up collateral damage from an ongoing conversation which appears just as if the election hasn't finished," she told the Australian Financial Review on Monday.