Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business, Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Saturday, 20 August was the first National Bookshop Day conducted in Australia. I was very pleased to participate at Robinsons Bookshop in Victoria, the oldest continuing independent bookseller in Victoria. The booksellers and bookshop community have had to come together because, rather than having a Minister for Small Business, we seem to have a 'minister against small business'. Senator Sherry predicted the demise of bookshops. At a time when all in the retail sector are doing it tough, the last thing they needed was a knife in the back from the Gillard government minister.

So the bookshop community thought it would not just stand back and bemoan the underperformance of the small business minister; it would get out there on the front foot to share with people that independent bookshops and booksellers do more than simply sell books. They are a great place to foster a love of reading, ensuring books are embedded in our culture. This could not be more true than for Robinsons Bookshop in Frankston in the community of Dunkley that I represent. It is right in the heart of Frankston. It is a fantastic place with a coffee shop at the back. There are dedicated staff sharing, as they did with me, their knowledge and expertise on good book purchases for loved ones, families and personal consumption. I was happy to buy another in the series of Slinky Malinki, a great children's book series.

As in so many policy areas, this government is not about abating emissions or sequestering carbon; it is about abating optimism and sequestering confidence. We need a change of government to support the retailers. (Time expired)