Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to take this opportunity to encourage everyone to get behind our local small businesses during the holiday season, through the Shop Small Campaign.

In Forde, we have some terrific retail shopping centres, with everything anyone could possibly need for Christmas. They can all be sourced locally—from Christmas hams through to gifts for family and friends. I am committed to supporting small and local business across the Forde electorate, because small business and family enterprise are the economic lifeblood of our communities, and the coalition wants to see them prosper.

Small businesses provide more than four million jobs across the country. Sadly, some 520,000 jobs were lost in small business under the previous Labor government, and we, as a government, are now focussed on arresting this decline and turning these numbers around.

I would encourage everybody to shop locally with our small businesses. Support them, because they are the ones that employ your kids or maybe even employ you. That is the best way we can ensure the economic success and growth of our local communities. Get out and about amongst your local shopping strips, businesses and service providers and find out what great value there is, not just for your wallet but also for the health and economic vitality of our community.