Gladys Liu (Chisholm, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Well, let's continue with this. The ATO says that they were not aware of any ultimately successful claim for deceased or other fictitious employees. But that's just like Labor, isn't it? They are not going to be happy with it, but never mind. They never let the truth get in the way of a good story. Don't let the truth that JobKeeper has received nearly universal praise get in the way of your political attacks.

Don't take my word for it. What about the words of the Governor of the Reserve Bank? He said that JobKeeper had done a 'remarkable job' at 'keeping people in jobs'. Now, what about business across the country? The Business Council of Australia commended the government for JobKeeper, saying that the program would 'make sure Australia is ready to rebuild quickly once this challenge passes.' Meanwhile, major Australian employer Cotton On Group said JobKeeper kept the company going through 2020. Let's not forget the Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Sally McManus, who called JobKeeper a 'historic win for working people' and actually asked for its reintroduction earlier this year. That's right, even the unions are full of praise for JobKeeper.

Ninety per cent of JobKeeper recipients were microbusinesses with a turnover of under $2 million and eight per cent of recipients were small- or medium-sized enterprises, and Labor is now going after them. Instead of trying to help small businesses during a national crisis, Labor are trying to force the ATO to release their private and confidential information. These aren't big businesses that Labor is targeting. Big businesses already have to make disclosures as part of their obligations to the ASX. These are small businesses and ordinary, hardworking Australians who are bearing the brunt of Labor's political attacks. So I call on Labor to stop its political attacks and call off its war on Australian small businesses.

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