Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business, Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

They revert to the big companies. They might get their economic advice from Bob Brown because we saw yesterday that the Treasurer has NFI—no fiscal idea—at all about what is going on, none whatsoever. The keeper of Australia’s taxes was asked about the impact of this tax and he could not even answer the question. Then he referred to a document where the carbon price was $45 a tonne. For people listening, that is not a $300 a year increase in your energy prices, that is $600 a year. Then you look at what is going on over in the UK where they surveyed some of these funky things that the government wants to facilitate that will create jobs and you find they cost 3.17 jobs for every job created in Australia.

Something has to happen here. Labor has to take small business seriously. It cannot keep treating them like some second-class productive trash in this economy. Small business used to provide more than half of the workforce opportunities in Australia—it is now diminishing as days go by. They do not factor in your policy and decision making; your minister is the Marcel Marceau of the frontbench. Who knows what the small business minister does? Even at COAG do you know what got cut the other day? It was the Small Business Council. You do not even care to have a chat about it now. Come on, guys, you have got to lift your game. You have got to be interested in the impact of this tax, you cannot describe the impacts you dare not utter and the consequences for our economy and jobs without factoring in the very real concerns of small business. Small business will find their voice, believe me. They were inspired by your ignorance about the impact of the paid parental leave pay clerk role. They will find their voice. I just wonder whether there is anyone listening because Labor just does not seem to care that this carbon tax is going to damage employment in the engine room of our economy. The men and women of small business deserve better, they create wealth, they create opportunities—(Time expired)

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