Craig Emerson (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Service Economy, Small Business and Independent Contractors) Share this | Hansard source

Who is Mr Graeme Samuel? I remember Graeme Samuel. Just remind me. He is the Chair of the ACCC—I remember now! The minister is the minister for small business. She is unaware of this statement. This statement is on the public record. This is evidence, and now she has admitted that she did not know that the Chair of the ACCC has called for the amendment that Labor has moved and the government is about to vote against. She did not know that. Why doesn’t she talk to the ACCC? Why doesn’t she talk to the competition watchdog and ask their opinion? Whose opinion does she ask for? Only the Treasurer’s. The Treasurer has got his own motivations in this. It is amazing that here in this parliament tonight the minister for small business has admitted that she did not know that the chair of the ACCC has indicated on the public record, in the quotations I gave, that he wants this amendment—that the ACCC needs this amendment, that small business needs this amendment, that the consumers of Australia need this amendment. With that evidence, I now call on the government to reconsider its opposition and support our amendment here and now.

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