Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Flynn for his question. He is a hardworking member. Before coming to this place, he was a hardworking businessman. He'd started businesses from scratch. He wasn't frightened to get a bit of dirt under his fingernails. He wasn't frightened to back himself. He wasn't frightened to take risks. He wasn't frightened to employ people. He had a go just like all of those small and medium family enterprises which those opposite want to cruel, want to cripple by taking away the tax relief that this government is providing them.

He comes from Gladstone, and Gladstone is home to some of the best economic potential and the best economic drivers in this nation. It is one of this nation's economic powerhouses. It's home to Northern Oil Refinery. It's also home to Corfield's Electrical Service, a little medium-size company that employs 60 people. It's a fine business. It's having a go. Its owner, Ken Corfield, told the member for Flynn, 'Obviously, with extra cash to inject into the business, we can employ more staff and develop our companies to run more efficiently and forward plan, knowing we will have more funds to do business.' That's the sort of enterprise, that's the sort of endeavour that we want to foster on this side of the House. That's the sort of enterprise and endeavour that those opposite want to take away, want to steal away.

We are also investing, as Liberals and Nationals, in Central Queensland, making roads such as the Bruce Highway safer through an investment of $10 million. The Northern Australia Roads Program has $59 million for the Capricorn Highway, the beef roads program has $20 million for road train access and the Bridges Renewal Program includes $5 million for the Three Moon Creek replacement. We're connecting country communities. We're making sure that those regional communities can connect to ports such as Gladstone.

But confidence is not something that you see opposite. There's no Labor confidence in businesses to back themselves. We've got some by-elections coming up, and people can get behind the candidates that this government is putting up or they can just be antibusiness as usual. That's what they'll get in Braddon. That's what they'll get in Longman. That's what they'll get in Mayo if they don't back the government candidates, who are going to provide a voice around the table of influence, a voice around that ministerial table to actually get things done. Labor has no confidence in Burnie, no confidence in Ulverstone, and I know that because I visited Ulverstone on my small business roadshow with Roger Jaensch last year, and we heard from small businesses there. They were backing the government. They were backing themselves, moreover. They were backing the lowest tax rate in 77 years. They were backing the instant asset write-off. But I tell you what they don't need down in Tasmania. I tell you what they don't need in Longman, and that's Labor's antibusiness policies. (Time expired)

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