Philip Ruddock (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I have a question for the Minister for Small Business—

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Chief Government Whip was on his feet.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition was on his feet.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think it has to stand with the Chief Government Whip.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes. I will come back to Mr Shorten.

Philip Ruddock (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I have a question for the Minister for Small Business, and I was very enthusiastic about asking it. Will the minister outline how fixing the budget will help small business and build a stronger economy?

Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Five hundred and nineteen thousand: that is the number of jobs, in the latest figures, lost under the Labor government from the small business community of Australia—519,000. Now, that might not interest those opposite. They might not be union jobs, they might not be important to the opposition leader's job, but they are crucial to the livelihoods of so many Australians. Five hundred and nineteen thousand livelihoods have been lost from what is the engine room of our economy because of the indifference, the neglect and the harsh measures introduced by Labor when in government. When we are faced with having to deal with the consequences of six horrendous years of Labor, all we get is complaint and obstruction. We need to fix the budget, a task that now nobody contests. Even the former Treasurer recognises the need. The Parliamentary Budget Office said this week it is time to start this repair job, saying:

… otherwise the longer you leave it the more exposed you become and the harder it is to wind it back …

What we have seen in this parliament all of this week is example after example of how the Abbott government's economic recovery strategy, our plan to repair the budget and get our finances on track, will make a material difference to the lives of Australians and the opportunities for the future, and all we run into is obstruction from those opposite. We heard the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It said:

The budget goes a long way to restoring all important business confidence that will drive investment and job creation, particularly for Australia's two million small businesses …

Now, if we are to start the task of restoring that jobs vitality in small businesses and family enterprises, we have to get the economic conditions right. To get those economic conditions right, we have to stop the runaway debt and deficit that we have inherited from the former government. We have to implement our economic action strategy, those many measures that are there to support small business to recruit and retain—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I hear those opposite mocking the Paid Parental Leave scheme, a scheme they are happy to have for the public servants and they are happy to have for the big end of town. What is wrong with offering those same benefits to small and medium-sized enterprises? What is wrong with that? Is that your strategy—to gut small businesses of their capacity to employ, to show no interest in those 519,000 jobs lost from small business under Labor and then to deny them the many measures in this budget to support innovation, growth, the chance to recruit and retain staff, to get involved in exporting, to use technology, to grow prospects and to improve jobs and economic vitality for the future? Why are you against this, Labor? We have Captain Complaint talking out of both sides of his mouth on these budget measures. As you go home to your electorates, think about how many of those 519,000 jobs were in your community. We are trying to get them back.