Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. It is very pertinent that it comes from the honourable member for Flynn, because he has a background that has involved small business. He was part of a petroleum transport business; he has been in the dairy business; and he has been in the mixed crops, beans, peas, peanuts and grains business. He has been in a range of small businesses, and that is because he obviously understands the benefits that come from being in small business: that opportunity to progress through the social and economic stratifications—to start at the bottom in life and make your way to the top.

To exist, survive and thrive in that environment we must have fairness. Fairness is what this side of the House is about—making sure that the over two million small businesses that employ over 4½ million people survive and thrive, because that is where the ingenuity comes from. That is where the dynamism comes from. That is where the hope and the aspiration comes from. That is what drives so many people on this side of the chamber into politics.

I do acknowledge the member for Hunter, who was a small businessperson, with about 10 years as an auto-electrician. But, for the life of me, after that it gets a bit thin on the ground as to who on that side have actually been involved in small business—so their understanding of this aspiration is very limited, and that is why the Labor Party will not be supporting our changes for small business. That is why they do not share the dream of people going through the social stratification by the sweat of their brow to make it from the bottom to the top.

Mr Bowen interjecting—

The member for McMahon mocks it. He is supposed to be the shadow Treasurer, but he mocks the idea that someone can start from the bottom and make it to the top. He does not believe in people getting ahead. He believes it all should be done by the corporate manual of big business and big unions. They are the party of big business and big unions.

But I am very happy that we will always be looking after fairness. I can see the Leader of the Opposition has a bit of vim about him at the moment. He has a bit of spark about him. This morning I was watching the member for Jagajaga's speech on poverty, and the Leader of the Opposition had a bit of a snooze—a little sleepy boo—through the speech. He is very alive now. He is very awake now, but he was a bit sleepy during the speech on poverty. We actually believe in fairness, so we are going to make sure that we stand up for small business. We are not going to be sleeping through it. We will not be sleeping through the member for Jagajaga's speech. We will be making sure we get fairness for people in small business and also that fairness for people dealing with poverty is dealt with properly.

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