Justine Keay (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I welcome this motion and would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the value of small business in my electorate of Braddon in north-west Tasmania. There are over 6,000 small businesses in my electorate and, to support those small businesses, we have a number of business groups: the Burnie chamber of commerce; the Central Coast chamber of commerce; the Devonport chamber of commerce; the Circular Head Progress Group; the Circular Head Business Group; Queenstown Business Group; Building Somerset's Future; and Citylink Burnie.

All of these groups in different ways support local small businesses with annual awards, promotions, forums and other events—many of which I have attended in my time as an elected member and prior to that. For example, the Circular Head Progress Group and the Circular Head Business Group have combined to create shopping dollars, a scheme whereby the local community can purchase generic vouchers to be redeemed in local businesses. Tania Brown from the Circular Head Business Group was quoted as saying at the launch of the voucher schemes:

"I just think everyone should shop locally, businesses put a lot back into the community.

"If people want their kids to have a job here, they need to shop here. It creates employment."

How true is that? The City Link of Burnie has the ethos 'live, play, shop local' and has a number of promotional activities to support this ethos. The highlight of City Link is their annual awards function, which is always a really enjoyable night for everyone in attendance. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the 2016 City Link award winners: Evanthia Hairdressing, Glow Cosmetics, Health Care Insurance, Palate Food and Drink, The Hidden Fox and B&E Personal Banking. Small businesses in my electorate are doing their part, and government has a role to play in supporting the sector. Labor took to the election a number of policies to support small businesses: plans to help small business access finance, a plan to help small business incorporate, plans to lower the small business company tax rate, plans for new jobs tax cuts and so many other policies that I just do not have time to mention.

The member for Boothby gives her government a pat on the back for levelling the playing field for small businesses online through changes to the GST, which is welcomed, but real issues remain. In my electorate there is a businessman called David Smith from Trooper IT Services. He is filling a gap in the local market, helping people with their IT needs, mobile phone repairs and so forth. But he is competing against the online world, particularly eBay, and he is continuing to encounter problems which just do not seem to get addressed. Sellers on eBay are in breach of eBay policy regarding counterfeit products, seller locations that are not really in Australia and satisfying any ATO obligations, which they do not. I have facilitated David and eBay to work together to resolve these issues in this sector, but government needs to play more of a role in ensuring online sellers meet their legal and ethical requirements. Kirk Pinner from Outside The Square Solutions consistently raises with me the fact that not one local small business in Tasmania has a federal government contract to deliver employment services, yet small businesses like Kirk's know and understand their community much, much more than any interstate multinational.

The member for Boothby also talks about country-of-origin labelling and its role in supporting small business, which is something that I support. Much progress has been made, but it is still an issue that remains in the seafood services sector. Labor has given its bipartisan support to a working group led by the honourable Assistant Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, who is leading consultations with the sector. The Tasmanian Salmonid Growers Association has been included as part of the industry consultations. However, it appears the state's principal group, the Tasmanian Seafood Industry Council, has been omitted. I have written to the honourable minister to ensure all of Tasmania's key seafood industry groups are given the opportunity to have their say, both aquaculture and wild caught. A large number of participants in Tasmania's wild fisheries are small family business operations, so it is important that they have a voice at the table. They are the backbone of so many regional economies in my state. I hope the minister takes on board my request for TSIC to be included.

Small businesses across so many sectors underpin the Tasmanian economy. Government must continually look at ways to grow and support this vital sector.

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