Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party, Minister for Industry) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question. I note that as recently as last week the bushfires forced evacuations in her electorate. It's a reminder that the danger, that the threat, is not over yet. Whilst we certainly hope that the worst is beyond us, it may not be. We may continue to face bushfires and increasing threats over the coming weeks and months. It's important, though, that we all acknowledge that there are rains happening right across Australia. That is very welcomed by our communities who have been so devastated by the bushfires.

The rebuilding process is just the first part of what we need to do. The impacts of this devastating natural disaster are going to take some time to remedy. Their impacts will be felt for a long time, and that is particularly so for our small businesses. Our small-business owners, as we know, are the ones who work hard and who are the backbones of our communities. That's what our economies thrive on.

The Small Business Roundtable, which was held on 14 January and attended by the Prime Minister, the Treasurer, the Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business and some 70 stakeholders, resulted in a very specific small-business package that was going to deliver and will deliver targeted support. That package includes increased grant funding, concessional loans, tax relief and a single contact point connecting businesses with the support they need. That support includes financial counselling services targeted to help small- and family-business owners deal with the emotional and financial challenges they face.

All of us in this House would have visited a number of electorates, no doubt, over the summer weeks and months, that have been affected by bushfires. I recently visited the small rural town of Braidwood, in the electorate of Eden-Monaro. My condolences to the people who live in the electorate of Eden-Monaro. I thank the member for the great support that he has given to those people, because I know they have suffered extensive losses. I met with small businesses there that had been affected by the fires. I think it's important to note that these businesses are impacted because they rely on the trade over the summer period to sustain them for the rest of the year, until the next season. They have been seriously impacted because they have lost their revenue over the last couple of months. They are working hard to recover, but they need our support individually and collectively.

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