Chris Hayes (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs and Minister for Small Business, Independent Contractors and the Service Economy. Minister, how will the government’s tax reforms benefit small businesses and independent contractors; and are there any threats to these reforms, particularly for the communities of bayside Brisbane?

Craig Emerson (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Finance Minister on Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank my friend and colleague the member for Werriwa for his question and recall fondly working with the Macarthur Business Enterprise Centre and participating in a Werriwa small business forum to engage small businesses in the Building the Education Revolution program and other aspects of the economic stimulus package. In response to the question from the member for Werriwa, under the government’s tax reform package 25,000 small businesses on Brisbane’s bayside will benefit from the instant write-off of assets valued at up to $5,000, giving a very welcome boost in cash flow and a very strong incentive for those 25,000 small businesses to invest in productivity-raising assets.

I can also advise the House that the small business companies on Brisbane’s bayside will benefit from the head start, the early start, on the reduction in the company tax rate made possible through the tax reform package as funded by the resource super profits tax. We know that anyone with any knowledge of Brisbane would know that the whole area of South-East Queensland is overwhelmingly a small business community. It is driven by small businesses, and nowhere is that more evident than in the bayside suburbs such as Alexandra Hills, Victoria Point and Wellington Point on Brisbane’s east. In that area, covered by the seat of Bowman, I can advise the House that there are no fewer than 11,676 small businesses. I can further advise the House that 96 per cent of all the businesses in that area are in fact small businesses and that amongst them there are 3,000 tradies.

So it begs this question: why won’t the member for Bowman stand up for his local small business community? Why will he vote against the Rudd government’s small business tax breaks that are being funded by the resource super profits tax? I ask the member for Bowman further: why did he betray his local small business community by voting against our economic stimulus with more than $143 million going into his electorate? He voted against that. He voted against $3.3 million for the Redland City Council for 10 community infrastructure projects. He voted against projects in 34 different schools under the Building the Education Revolution program, including Alexandra Hills State School and Hilliard State School. I can advise the housing minister that he voted against 179 social houses being built in his electorate. I can tell the roads and infrastructure minister that he voted against fixing a black spot on the Beenleigh-Redland Bay Road. Why would you do that? He voted against jobs for tradies in his electorate. He voted against small businesses in his electorate. Why would you do that? The Liberal Party says that it is the party of small business—‘Look at us, we proudly represent small business’—and time and time again the coalition has voted against helping our small businesses, supporting our small businesses. Nowhere is that clearer than in the bayside suburbs of South-East Queensland where the member for Bowman has betrayed those small businesses. Given a choice between supporting Clive Palmer and supporting the 11,000 small businesses in his local electorate, what does the member for Bowman do? He supports Clive Palmer every time. Clive Palmer is a very wealthy man—hello, here’s Clive’s friend and defender.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order on relevance. This personal vilification has nothing to do with the question.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will resume her seat. The minister will relate his material to the question. He will now quickly come to a conclusion as well.

Craig Emerson (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Finance Minister on Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Clive Palmer is a wealthy man. He owns a very big mining company. Clive Palmer owns a football team. And Clive Palmer owns the Liberal and National parties. That is the truth of the matter.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order, Mr Speaker.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I really believe that this is something that has to be dealt with through other avenues open to members within the chamber, based on analogous situations throughout the history of the place.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Pyne interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member of the Sturt always makes it very difficult.