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

It gives me great pleasure to get up in this chamber and speak about the importance of small business to our economy and how this government sees just as much potential in them as I do. Before I do, I thought I might just do a little bit of myth busting.

The first myth busted by this government in our year in office is the myth that those opposite claim to be the better economic managers. We've shone a light on that old chestnut, haven't we, colleagues? The Liberals left office with a trillion dollars worth of debt and nothing to show for it, yet they still believe they're the better economic managers. They handed out rort after rort and delivered budget after budget which added fuel to the inflation fire, leaving the economy in the mess it is in. They're no economic managers and they're no friends of small business.

That is the second great myth in Australian politics—that those corporate wannabes opposite, those failed middle managers over there, understand and care about business. But Australia now knows that it's all show. Those opposite have never been so disconnected from business in their history. During the early days of the pandemic, they were dragged kicking and screaming to support small businesses. And then, of course, when they finally got there, their support was so poorly designed that many small businesses and sole traders were excluded, while big businesses, who didn't need support, were oversubsidised. Then, after hearing small businesses cry out for action on skills shortages, instead of supporting the government's measures to address them they opposed them.

Then, of course, we have these endless culture wars those opposite wage against businesses who are speaking out on behalf of their employees and their customers. Businesses who support climate action, who support the Voice, who speak out against attacks on the LGBTIQ+ community are consistently attacked by those opposite. On economic management and on supporting businesses, those opposite have never been more out of touch. Their base has found a home in the Albanese government, because we've been consultative, measured, fair and transparent. They've found this to be a stable government that's getting on with the job of fixing the mess left behind by the Morrison government.

Before my time in this place, I owned and operated a small business. I've been working in a small business for most of my life. I know firsthand how important small businesses are to our economy. They employ 5.2 million Australians and contribute more than $500 billion to our nation's economy every year. They're the heart of our local communities. They employ locals and they serve locals. As a former small-business owner and operator, I'm proud to be part of a government that sees as much importance and potential in small business as I do.

In just over one year, we've delivered program after program which will help small businesses across the country. The Small Business Energy Incentive will help up to 3.8 million small and medium-sized businesses save energy and save on their energy bills. That figure is $650 for small businesses in New South Wales, which will apply automatically from 1 July. The $394 million industry growth plan will help small businesses innovate and adapt and change the way they operate, to digitise. We've got grants and tax incentives for energy efficiency, and huge investments in TAFE and training to provide a workforce for our modern economy.

We're cleaning up the skilled migration system that those opposite totally destroyed. Small businesses have been crying out for reform to help bring skilled workers to the country but also to skill up local workers. Our fee-free TAFE has been fought tooth and nail by those opposite when those calls have come from small businesses in our economy.

Then, of course, there are our broader macro reforms. Cheaper child care will give more families access to early education, which means more men and women will be able to get back into the workforce, which will help small businesses grow. There's not one business in my electorate that is at full capacity. They're all crying out for help and skills, and those opposite not only boycotted the Jobs and Skills Summit but are opposing measures that we're taking to help small business. Never forget, when they complain about the cost of power, that those opposite voted against price caps on coal and gas, which will go directly to helping small business.

The big difference between the government and those opposite is that we don't just say we support small businesses; we actually deliver for them.

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