Jerome Laxale (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

There's a great myth in Australian politics. We on this side of the House know it, the people of Bennelong know it and the people of Australia know it. It is of course the claim by those opposite that the Liberals are better economic managers. What a joke! They've left office with $1 trillion worth of debt and nothing to show for it, yet they claim to be better economic managers. They've wasted billions of dollars—famously, $5 billion on submarines that didn't even buy a canoe—yet they claim to be economic managers. And now we have a second great emerging myth in Australian politics, and that is that those opposite believe they're the party for small business. Those corporate wannabes over there feign that they understand small business, feign outrage about small business and feign that they care about small business. But, as with their attempts to claim that they're better economic managers, the Australian public are seeing straight through them.

Where were they when the small businesses in Bennelong were crying out for help in the early days of the pandemic? Months passed before the former Prime Minister was dragged kicking and screaming to provide a wage subsidy to support small businesses and our economy. Then, when they finally got the message, their design of JobKeeper deliberately left out industries dominated by smaller businesses and sole traders, all while funnelling our money—$20 billion of it—into businesses that had rising revenue. Small businesses were excluded; big businesses were oversubsidised. And they claim to be a party for small businesses. What a joke.

Where were they when small businesses were screaming for staff? Where were their investments in skills and training when businesses were saying there was a skills shortage? Where was their determination to fix our broken immigration system, to process visas for skilled workers? Where was their plan to increase skilled migration numbers once borders opened? There was no plan by the former government to address these issues, and they have no plan now. They are not better economic managers and they are no party for small business. I know this because this is the feedback I've been receiving from small businesses in my electorate and their employees in my 10 years in representative politics. I know this because I've run a small business my entire life—the one that my father started, the one that I grew, the one that's still employing 10 Australians today.

And I know that my dad's business is exempt from the provisions under this bill, as it should be. Labor understands that small businesses need flexibility, which is why two million small businesses will be exempt under the current definition within this legislation. And we know that these provisions are, as are many others, up for negotiation, and I welcome that news.

But back to those opposite, whipping out their tired lines about unionism and Labor being anti business. My electorate knows that those opposite aren't the party for small business. What the government is trying to do with these laws is promote job security, help close the gender pay gap, modernise the workplace bargaining system and get wages moving, and that is exactly what we were elected to do. They know that since our election in May we have provided and will continue to provide small business with the support they need to grow and to navigate the challenges that exist in our economy.

Here's a list of what we've done and what we're doing in just six months: free access to mental health and financial counselling for small business; $4 million for a small business debt helpline; energy efficiency grants to eligible small business; help for small businesses to adapt and build resilience through digital technology; a 20 per cent bonus tax deduction for employees who incur costs training and upskilling their employees; and a bonus tax deduction for small businesses who invest in technology and digital operation—that's a $1 billion investment into small businesses, backdated to 29 March and available until June. They're no economic managers. They're not the party for small business.

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