Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This is a motion which is easy to support because it is a warm and fuzzy motion. It does not really tell you a lot but it makes a warm and fuzzy statement. 'Government should prioritise infrastructure investment to help small businesses grow.' That is a no-brainer; that is the role of government. I find it a bit odd and perplexing that the backbenchers of the government supported the motion without any real detail as to how they are going to help small businesses grow.

One of the speakers, the member for Corangamite, had a go at the state Labor government for sticking to their promise to scrap the East West Link, which was a dud tunnel. It would not have solved the congestion problems in the state of Victoria, and this government withdrew the vital infrastructure funding from Victoria which would have created jobs. They took it away from key projects like Melbourne Metro, took it away from regional road projects which would have actually helped—helped product get to a port and helped small businesses do the work that they need to do. What is also really perplexing about the member for Corangamite's speech is her obsession with going after the CFMEU. Perhaps she has not realised that construction workers are CFMEU members and so if you want to talk about construction jobs being created you are actually talking about creating CFMEU member jobs. So to have a go at the state government by saying that they are too close to the CFMEU when it is about construction jobs is a bit odd—unless of course this government is planning to use the ChAFTA as a way to bring in workers who undercut the wages of good local Australians, whether they be people working for subcontractors or working for contractors themselves. This government's plan about the China free trade agreement is different to every other agreement: it aims to undercut the wages and conditions of small businesses in this country—local tradies in my electorate. That is what the government is trying to hide behind fluffy motions like this.

As the member for Swan mentioned, this government is also not coming out and properly investing in the NBN. My electorate of Bendigo was knocked off the map. They screamed before the election that they would roll out the NBN sooner, faster and cheaper. Newsflash: what happened in areas like Central Victoria is that we were knocked off the map for two years. Now we have been put back on the map but still do not have a rollout plan. And, when we finally get that rollout plan, what is it going to be? Fibre to the node. Not fibre to the premises but fibre to the node, which will put back small businesses in my electorate even further. Just to highlight one of the crises that Malcolm Turnbull, the Minister for Communications, has created in my electorate of Bendigo: four NBN towers have been built; three have been finished and one is waiting to be completed. There is a planning application problem. The frustration, though, for the people around the other three towers is that they can look at the towers but they cannot be switched on.

I go to some of the experiences that people have emailed me about. Currently a family is spending $70 a month for eight gigs. They run a small business from their home in Eppalock. Another family pays over $100 per month for 15 gigs. Another family can only access 3G mobile, which is very slow and drops out constantly, because they do not have proper internet available through the towers or through the landline. They are simply off the map when it comes to this government's plan for the NBN. Small businesses in Eppalock, Mt Camel, Goornong and Sedgewick are missing out on vital infrastructure because this government tore up Labor's plan, introduced a new plan, knocked Bendigo off the map and have to this day still not fixed the mess they made.

So, on behalf of the people in my electorate, I say, rather than putting forward motions which are light and fluffy, put forward a concrete plan that would see small businesses in Central Victoria connect to the NBN. The government have an obsession with talking down the economy. They seem to forget that consumers are the biggest drivers of small business. Goods and services are delivered by our small businesses. The government need to get real about supporting small business and put forward plans that will make a difference, not light and fluffy motions. (Time expired)

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