Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Hansard source

It was an excellent question from the member for Lyons. I know the three amigos from Tasmania all could have asked that. In fact, all of us on this side of the House understand how crucial and central small business success is to a strong economy and to vibrant, energetic communities. That is why we have to fix the budget mess that was left to this government by Labor. We have to deal with the debt and deficit.

As I travel around Australia, talking with small businesses, something that comes up is that they know they cannot pay their overdraft bill on their visa card. They know they just cannot keep building the debt and deficits in their operations and hope to be successful into the future. They know if they want to pass that business onto their family they cannot laden it with all of this debt that denies opportunity and prospects into the future. They understand that, and that is why small businesses have said to me, 'Good on you for tackling the debt and deficit legacy that Labor's left behind.' For the local government representatives here, they know small businesses and family enterprises are the heart of so many economies. This is a message we hear everywhere we travel: 'Get on with the task of fixing the budget mess. We know you didn't create it, but just as has happened so many times in history, Labor creates the mess and the coalition is left to fix it.'

So the Economic Action Strategy does that. It also lays the economic foundations to create more jobs to support small business success. ACCI has recognised this. They said:

The budget goes a long way to restoring all important business confidence that will drive investment and job creation, particularly for Australia's two million small businesses—

Now ACCI has had a lot to say as well about the carbon tax—a central element of our economic action strategy. They know the carbon tax has caused great harm and hardship to small business. They said it is one of the highest in the world. It is making our key industries less competitive. They said:

For small business especially, this has been a major burden that has reduced profitability, suppressed employment—

They have recognised that in this tough economic climate, so why make it harder? We have to get this carbon tax repeal bill through. I am encouraged by the noise coming from the Senate that this may well happen but I wonder if Labor is at all interested in restoring the 519,000 jobs lost in small business under Labor and whether they will care enough to get on board with the implementation of this Economic Action Strategy. We sit and celebrate Patty Mills and Aron Baynes with their contribution to the Spurs and the NBA, the Kookaburras, the Hockeyroos' efforts and the Socceroos in Brazil but, if we thought that they were carrying lead in their shoes to slow them down and impede their performance, no-one would think that was right and reasonable. But Labor thinks that is perfectly acceptable when it comes to applying a carbon tax that acts as a reverse tariff that makes it a difficult job creating opportunities and employment for small business. Get on board I say to Labor, or get out of the road while we restore those jobs lost under your administration.

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