Kim Beazley (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the National Party. Can the Deputy Prime Minister confirm that under the 2002 Small Business Interest Rate Relief Program the government promised to deliver $70 million to 14,000 struggling regional businesses? Is it not the case that the program only delivered $1.1 million to 182 applicants? Is the reason the program has been axed that it cost $790,000 to deliver $1.1 million in grant money?

Mark Vaile (Lyne, National Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. One thing that our government is all about is helping small business. My understanding of that program is that it was demand driven, but I will check the statistics because we never take as a given the statistics quoted by the Leader of the Opposition or other members of the Labor Party. I will check those statistics and come back to him.