Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I recognise that right now small businesses are under a lot of pressure, and I think that it's a challenging time that we're having within the Australian economy. I recognise that some of the top issues that small businesses are dealing with include skills shortages, cybersecurity, digital transformation, the regulatory environment and inflationary pressures. I'd say that each of these areas is an area the Albanese Labor government is working on.

I'm in touch with our community and I meet with small businesses regularly in my electorate. Recently I got to meet Simon from Stuart & Heaton Clothing. They started in Belmont, in the heart of Swan, and they provide a range of workwear to a range of industries, including firefighters and policemen. I think that it's great that they started in the heart of Swan and now they operate all across the nation. It's great to hear stories of innovation, hard work and resilience. It's also great to hear of workers being treated fairly and recognised for their hard work. In this particular organisation, one of the codes that they've signed up to is ethical clothing, and so they've got good standards for their procurement chain and making sure that workers are indeed being paid fairly, and what that means is that firefighters and police officers have confidence in the clothes that are being made right here in Australia. But, in saying that, I know it's not all roses, and I understand that the challenges of running a small business are real.

That's why the Albanese government is focused on providing practical support and long-term solutions to help small businesses thrive. Our policies are designed with one goal in mind: to strengthen the resilience of small businesses while offering targeted assistance to those encountering difficulties.

If I think about who the largest employer is across Australia, it is indeed small to medium businesses. So, in preparing for this debate tonight, I did some research about what has happened to small businesses in my electorate. What I found might surprise the member for Casey. According to .id, Australia's provider of demographic statistics to local government, there are 4,205 businesses in the town of Victoria Park, compared to 3,933 in 2021. That's an increase of 272 businesses in the town of Vic Park since we have been in power. In the City of Belmont in 2023, there were 4,529 businesses, compared to 4,225 in 2021. Again, to do the maths, that's an increase of 304 businesses in the City of Belmont since we came to power. In the City of Canning in 2023, there were 10,711 small businesses, compared to 9,995 in 2021. That's a substantial increase of 716 businesses in the City of Canning. So, in just those three local government areas in my electorate, that's a total of 1,292 new businesses. It's pretty impressive. To put it another way, there were 19,445 businesses in total in 2023, compared to 18,153 businesses in 2021. That's a seven per cent increase in the number of businesses since the Liberals were in power.

An increase in businesses means an increase in local jobs as well, and we have seen an increase in jobs in the south-west region, where my electorate sits, since the Liberals were in power. Recent labour force figures reveal an unemployment rate of 3.7 per cent in the region in May 2024, compared to 5.1 per cent in 2021.

Those figures are positive news to my thriving community. Of course, I acknowledge that we need to ensure that we provide an environment that supports businesses to prosper. This year, the budget allocated over $640 million in support specifically tailored to small businesses. Whether it's for navigating financial stress or accessing expert advice, there is advice. For businesses facing tough times, there's the Small Business Debt Helpline. It's free and government supported. We continue to employ different actions to help small businesses every day.

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