Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to acknowledge the words of the previous speaker, the member for Monash. Just one piece of advice, though, is that we are supporting small business and interacting with them. So, it's not a case of government getting out of the way for small business. It's about how government can assist small business. That is what we're focused on: how government can help small businesses, which are the engine room of our national economy—and that's certainly the case in Darwin in my electorate.

Across our nation, small businesses employ millions of Australians, and they're really at the heart of our local communities. Of the 2.5 million businesses in Australia, about 98 per cent are small or medium enterprises. Obviously in recent years, for a variety of reasons, thousands of small businesses across our nation have done it really hard, whether because of the impacts of bushfire or of extensive flooding or, of course, because of COVID, when a lot of small businesses were seriously affected. But any time that businesses, particularly tourism-exposed businesses, are hit, that's a real hit to the local economy and to people's jobs. So, it has been a tough time, but that's why our government is delivering for small business, by helping them to bounce back from these challenges and to improve their long-term resistance. We're doing this by providing $15.1 million for small-business owners to access free mental health and financial counselling support. We're also updating Commonwealth procurement rules so that small businesses get a bigger slice of the $70 billion of contracts that the Commonwealth government spends every year, by having a 20 per cent target.

I'm very proud of the role that I've played, even from opposition, in leading some reform to the defence procurement rules and the packaging up of work that saw more local small and medium enterprises getting some of that work. I acknowledge that some of those reforms were taken up by the former government, but we're really driving it. It's so crucial to the defence industry, particularly in the Top End, where I represent the people of Darwin and Palmerston, but also across the Territory and across the country. When those big Commonwealth procurements are happening—multimillion- and even multibillion-dollar investments—we want our small and medium sized businesses to get the bulk of that work and to do very well.

One quick example is Pattemore Constructions, which is a First Nations business based in Mcminns Lagoon, just out of Darwin city. They were hired to refurbish three accommodation buildings at Tindal air base in a project valued at about $2.6 million—not in the billions, but millions of dollars—and that is great for their business. They can develop their business. They can bring on more employees. Those jobs are so important, and reforming those Commonwealth procurement rules is really important to that small business in my community because it helps provide a bit more of a level playing field when they're bidding for work. The answer is not getting government to abandon small business by, 'getting out of the way'. It's about asking: how do we help and actively assist small business? We're doing that in a number of ways.

The Albanese government is also reviewing the Payment Times Reporting Act 2020 to consider options to achieve better payment terms and practices for small business. This is another legacy that we've inherited. We have small businesses that are waiting ages for government to pay them. They have been really disadvantaged by a lack of quick payment by government, so we are going to sort that. In the opening round, the first round, there's been $62.6 million in energy efficiency grants to eligible small and medium businesses to help address these rising costs. We've also talked about support for small businesses to help them with their energy bills, which is absolutely essential. I'm proud that our government is committed to actively assisting small businesses across our great nation.

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