Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Hansard source

I invite the member for Perth to look around him. We are in the federal parliament. We are not in the Western Australian parliament. That would have been a great stump speech if you were a candidate for the Western Australian election coming up on 11 March, but we are in the Commonwealth parliament, the Parliament of Australia. I did not hear many mentions of the federal government. All we heard was a speech condemning the Western Australian government. I cannot understand it. It was his big moment to lead the matter of public importance, and he failed. He failed because all he wanted to talk about was Western Australia. I appreciate it is his home state and I appreciate there is an election coming up, but we are on this side of the Nullarbor. We are not in Perth.

Go anywhere outside this building—outside this federal parliamentary building—and you will hear it. Go anywhere outside this building and you will see it. It is the heartbeat which drives the nation, the sound of ambition and drive. It is the sound of success. It is the hard work of Australia's 2.1 million small businesses.

Mr Conroy interjecting—

The member for Shortland gets it. He understands. From the inland to the coast, in the cities and the suburbs, it is a sector which strives every day to better the lives of Australians, to create more jobs and to provide the goods and services that Australians—whether they live regionally or in the capital cities—demand, expect and deserve. And we are a government—a federal government, Member for Perth—which understands how inextricable the bond between success and small business is.

Today we are here to talk about the interests of local workers and consumers. The member for Perth might have forgotten that. He wrote the line but forgot to prosecute the argument. Surprising from a barrister, but he forgot to prosecute the argument! We are here to reflect on the findings of soundings taken over summer, and that is why I am pleased to talk up exactly what this federal government has done, and will continue to do, to create jobs and opportunities for Australians and to see small business soar.

Mr Husic interjecting—

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