Greg Combet (Charlton, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency) Share this | Hansard source

I understand the member for Kennedy's concerns about this issue. We have to allow the Chairman of the ACCC the opportunity to do his job. I am sure that if the Chairman of the ACCC believes that he and the ACCC need further powers to deal with some of these competition issues in relation to the retail sector, he will come forward to the government and indicate that that is the case. At a broader level in the economy, the government are taking a number of steps to try to alleviate the pressure on small businesses in particular. We are endeavouring to distribute the benefits of the resources boom to assist small business through two key things. One of them is to reduce company tax and the other is to introduce an instant asset write-off of up to $6,500 for as many assets as small businesses can purchase within a financial year. We are doing constructive things to support jobs and small business in this economy, and all of it is opposed by the coalition.

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