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

It is great to get a question from the member for Bennelong, and I am looking forward to joining with him in his electorate to learn more about his Bennelong Village Businesses Project, which encourages local consumers to get behind their local-strip shopping centres to shop small, to shop local and to get behind those enterprising Australians who are the backbone of our economy.

We on this side of the parliament and the general public know a great deal about the concerns that have been expressed about the conduct of big supermarket retailers and wholesalers toward smaller suppliers in the food and grocery space. In fact, there was a time when even Labor recognised this as a concern, but that was back in 2008 when the now shadow Treasurer promised some action. Guess what has happened since then? Absolutely nothing. In 2008, concern was recognised and action was promised but absolutely nothing happened. What we on this side of the parliament and in government have done is work very effectively with industry to implement the first ever food and grocery code. This code will help small businesses and it will help the economy by ensuring that suppliers are treated fairly. The code makes sure that all dealings are fair and transparent with clear written supply agreements. This provides the solid ground that suppliers are looking for so they can thrive, they can invest and they can innovate. Payments will be made on time, because we on this side note the importance of cash flow to small business. Also, since the announcement of this code, there is already some evidence that retailers and wholesalers are changing their ways and changing their behaviours for the better. This code, heralded by the Australian Food and Grocery Council as historic, is yet another example of how this government is working hard to support small business, yet more evidence that the coalition is the only friend of small business in this place.

But we know that there is more to do. We have to recover the 519,000 jobs lost in small business under Labor. That is 519,000 livelihoods lost in the small-business economy under the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd government. We need to build the momentum to provide for more jobs and opportunities in the small-business engine room of the economy. That is why I am working so hard on the small-business package that the Prime Minister announced to energise enterprise to drive jobs and economic growth. True to form, it is the Liberal and National parties getting behind these enterprising men and women who take risks, who mortgage their homes, who apply themselves day in, day out and who use their talents to create opportunities for themselves, others and their communities. These people are out there having a go. They deserve a fair go. They deserve the support of this parliament and they can count on the Liberal and National parties to deliver the support they are looking for.

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