Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Emergency Management) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, it was opposed by the opposition. That decision provided opportunities for thousands of small businesses. It meant that so many more people were employed. That was absolutely critical. It meant that we ensured that thousands of small businesses in every one of the members' electorates in this place survived and thrived. That is what happened as a result of those decisions. Conversely, the opposition chose to oppose those very important initiatives. In the end, their heart is not there to support small business. In the end, whatever their rhetoric, the reality is that their heart is not in this at all. Ultimately, if you have to choose between a tax cut for small business or tax relief for the largest and wealthiest companies in this country, which would you normally choose? This government will always choose support for small business and, clearly, the opposition will provide relief for the super-rich. That is the problem.

I have been in the role of the Minister for Small Business for a very short time. I am very proud to be the minister and I am very proud to have the portfolio elevated to cabinet. It is the first time since I have been in this place that there has been a cabinet minister representing small business. I am happy that within that time I have been able to announce the Office of the Small Business Commissioner. I am happy, indeed, to have been able to prosecute the argument as to why we need tax relief for small businesses. I will continue to prosecute that argument to ensure that we provide such relief.

I will be speaking to as many small businesses as I can as I go around the country. They are the engine room of this economy; there is no doubt. They employ just under five million Australians. They are absolutely vital to our economy. As I said earlier, the role of government is to create the conditions in which they can thrive. We did that when we confronted the global financial crisis. Indeed, we saved and ensured that certain companies continued in a very prosperous manner. We will continue to provide new opportunities for small business because if you create the right conditions then certainly those small businesses will prosper. Why is it so important? It is important for those businesses but it is also important because of the breadth and the proportion of Australian employees that are employed by those businesses.

We will continue to listen to small business. I will be travelling around the country talking to all of the areas of small business, and, literally, they are in every sector of our economy. I will be getting direct from them their concerns and challenges so that we can continue to respond. What I hope will happen between now and when the decision is to be made in the Senate is that the opposition has a change of heart. I hope the opposition thinks about this and puts the country first, puts small business first and supports the tax cuts and the tax relief that we want to provide.

All this week the Leader of the Opposition has tried all sorts of distractions to forget about the one issue that is clear in everyone's mind: we have a Liberal Party leader who is seeking to oppose tax cuts to small business. The only thing that they wanted to talk about today is one job for a former Liberal Treasurer. They did not want to talk about the jobs in the small business sector or about relief for small business. I say to those opposite: listen to the small business community, accept the tax cut, allow the tax cut and allow that for them because they need it. (Time expired)

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