Jamie Briggs (Mayo, Liberal Party, Chairman of the Scrutiny of Government Waste Committee) Share this | Hansard source

The Parliamentary Secretary says, 'It's their fault.' That is the first response that we have had from the Parliamentary Secretary, because the letter goes unanswered. It is good to see we have got an 'It's their fault' coming back to us!

But in any event, what the story is with the new national registration is that they will not allow Mr Newman to upgrade his postal address details with ASIC and remove the roadside mailbox and have a registered PO box instead. The decision was a result of the new rural property addressing system introduced by the state government. However, it goes to the ASIC rules that they are putting in place, which will not allow this to be registered. Of course it is just a bit of bureaucratic mindlessness, which is causing this small business person such challenges.

I expect the Parliamentary Secretary will write back sooner rather than later and explain that it has been fixed, because it would seem to me to be an easy issue to fix—to help this small business. It is like so many small businesses trying to make a go of it in an electorate like mine, a rural electorate, largely in small, home-based businesses, as the member for Dunkley said. They are an increasing trend. The Labor Party does not like them. They do not like them; they never have.

An honourable member interjecting—

That is why they have attacked the independent contractors legislation that the former government brought in. They do not like the fact that people can create their own opportunities. They much prefer them in the union collective. They much prefer them to be part of the pool of workers that can be accessed—

Mr Ripoll interjecting—

Parliamentary Secretary, I would have thought you would be looking to answer the letter I wrote you on 8 March, rather than interjecting.

An honourable member interjecting—

Six months? Wow. This is a very important motion because the Labor Party does not like small businesses. It is instinctively against—

Honourable members interjecting—

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