Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to report on the exceptional Shop Small campaign, which promoted small businesses across Australia and particularly in my electorate of Barker. Shop Small, as you know Mr Deputy Speaker, is a nationwide, grassroots movement that brings together businesses, community, governments and consumers to support small businesses. After a successful launch in 2013, Shop Small returned this year in November and ran for the entire month. I enjoyed taking the time out of my busy schedule in November to urge residents throughout my electorate to support the campaign by shopping at the small shops and businesses that strengthen our community—not just during the campaign time of November but also in every month of every year.

As those opposite know, small businesses and their owners are at the heart of our community, from family businesses to start-ups and independents. Local businesses give our neighbourhoods character, colour, and convenience, and we are committed to their long-term prosperity. By shopping small, we are supporting small businesses. In turn, thriving local shops create thriving local communities, which drive jobs growth. That is good for everyone—a genuine win-win. I am delighted that businesses such as Tania Long's The Birch House in Murray Bridge Marketplace, Sharon Tuffnell's Bare Necessities Lingerie in Mount Gambier, and Jan Linke's Linke's Bakery & Tearoom on Murray Street in Nuriootpa, jumped on board the campaign to raise the profile of this campaign and to highlight the importance of the small business sector in Barker. Businesses such as these demonstrate that local businesses thrive when their local communities embrace them.

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