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

I thank the member for Maranoa for his question. He's a hard worker. I'll tell you why he needs to be: his electorate is 731,297 square kilometres. It's a big electorate. If the member for Maranoa's electorate was a country, it would be the 39th-largest country in the world. It is three times the size of your home state of Victoria, Mr Speaker. It's a big electorate. It needs a big member to look after the 23,966 small businesses in Maranoa, and the member gets around. He understands those small businesses' needs.

I was recently in Maranoa and I visited Dalby, Stanthorpe, Warwick and Roma. They're great towns. They've got great small businesses, like Nicole's Beauty and John Dee Meatworks. They are all fantastic businesses taking advantage of the instant asset write-off and the lowest tax rate since 1940—

Mr Bowen interjecting—

1940, member for McMahon! It is 27½ per cent—the lowest the tax rate's been for 77 years. They are taking advantage of the red-tape reduction that the Turnbull government has introduced and taking advantage of Single Touch Payroll. Just last week the Treasurer announced the Small Business Digital Taskforce, headed by Mark Bouris. That's going to be a wonderful task force which is going to provide great outcomes for small businesses right around the country, including in Maranoa.

I'm asked about the challenges for small business. Well, I'm looking at them. You know what, Mr Speaker: Labor likes double-faulters—

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