Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. How is it fair that in this budget the Prime Minister can find a spare $65 billion for big business but Nowra East Public School in Gilmore loses $1.32 million over the next two years alone?

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister has the call.

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

The member for Sydney is warned.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The honourable member is excruciatingly embarrassed by the fact that it is the coalition which has delivered David Gonski's need-based formula—she who has argued for years against all the special deals and secret deals, she who was shocked in government by the now Leader of the Opposition running around the countryside at Julia Gillard's behest signing up one contradictory deal after another: 'Anything to get a signature, don't worry about consistency, and for heaven's sake no transparency.' Transparency has not been a long suit of the Leader of the Opposition. The workers at Clean Event did not know what was going on. The workers at Chiquita Mushrooms did not know what was going on. When he had the chance to vote—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The member for Sydney on a point of order?

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Relevance. This is a disadvantaged school losing funding, and he does not know, or he does not care.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Sydney will resume her seat.

Honourable members interjecting—

I have asked the member for Sydney to resume her seat. The Prime Minister has the call.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think we will check that calculation. There is some contention as to whether the honourable member has got her numbers right. The one thing we do know is that more than 99 per cent of the schools in Australia receive additional funding.

But the most important thing is that we get in 10 years to a position where government schools are funded by the Commonwealth to 20 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard and non-government schools are funded to 80 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard as adjusted for the usual SES calculation. That is transparent. It is clear. It is set out on the minister's web application so that everyone can see. That is the big difference: it is needs based, it is consistent and it is transparent.

We will check what the honourable member said about that particular school and advise the House later as to the actual figures.

Ms Kate Ellis interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Adelaide will cease interjecting.

Ann Sudmalis (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer outline to the House how the government's small business tax cuts are helping Australian small businesses to invest and employ more Australians? How has the budget been received by hardworking Australian small businesses?

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I call the Treasurer—

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

The member for Sydney has been warned. She will cease interjecting. The Treasurer has the call.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Gilmore for her question. I was pleased to be in her electorate during the course of last week, where I found out that, for public schools in Nowra, their funding is going up 60 per cent over the next 10 years. The other key feedback I got when I was in Nowra was from small businesses. This government has already cut tax for small businesses. More than half of Australia's workforce will now be covered by a lower rate of tax because of the cuts to taxation for small- and medium-size businesses that have already been legislated through this parliament.

I had the opportunity when I was in Nowra with the member for Gilmore to visit Nowra Flooring Xtra, where Aaron and Val Baker run a small business. They have a turnover of around $3 million. The Leader of the Opposition thinks a business with a turnover of $3 million is a big business—he thinks it is Google, Facebook or Microsoft—and he does not think that they should be getting the tax cut that they are now getting and that they should not be getting the extension of the instant asset write-off, which we announced in the budget. He also does not think that Aaron and Val Baker, down there in the electorate of Gilmore, should be able to do their GST on a cash basis. He does not understand that, for a small business with a $3 million turnover, being able to do your GST on a cash basis to better manage your cash flow is a massive opportunity for them. But that is what we have done. We have cut taxes for small business. We also had the opportunity to visit Gleeson Transport, a trucking company. They are getting a tax cut from this government so that they can better support their growth as a company and employ more Australians in the Shoalhaven, which is very, very important.

Those opposite, the Labor Party, are planning to put their hand in the till of every single company in this country, and they are going to start with small business. If those opposite are elected, they are going to reverse the tax cuts for small business. That means that, whether you are Aaron and Val Baker in the Shoalhaven or you are Bowmaker Realty in the electorate of Petrie, or wherever you happen to be, those opposite, the Labor Party, want to increase taxes on your small business. They want to take the threshold for small business from $10 million down to $2 million, because they know that, if they do not fulfil that pledge to put the taxes back up, they will have a $25 billion black hole—another black hole—and they cannot even get close to funding the promises that they bring in and out of this place.

We on this side of the House are cutting taxes for small business. We are investing in ensuring that small businesses can grow. We are looking to cut their red tape. Those opposite just want to put up their taxes and tie them up in red tape.

Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. How is it fair that, under your $22 billion cut to schools, Tasmanian public schools get a cut of $68 million over the next two years alone, while the Friends' School, a private school in Hobart, will get an extra $19.2 million over 10 years?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tasmanian Catholic schools will get a 4.4 per cent increase over the period. All but a very small number of schools—well over 99 per cent of schools—will receive an increase in funding under our Gonski needs-based policy.

I want to take the opportunity to deal with the matter that the member for Sydney raised a moment ago when she asked about the Nowra East Public School, which she said was going to lose money, but will in fact—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order?

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

On direct relevance: this week, and when we were here during budget week, the Prime Minister increasingly is answering two questions ago every question, and he has just indicated that he wants to do it again. The whole idea of questions without notice is meant to be that, when we ask the question, the answer that is relevant is the one that follows, not the one that comes 10 minutes later. I ask that the Prime Minister be directly relevant to the question he has been asked.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Manager of Opposition Business for his point of order. If the Prime Minister were seeking to add to an answer of an earlier question on a different topic, I would concur, but he is still on the topic of education. I call the Prime Minister.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

For the sake of completeness, I can confirm that the average annual per student increase over the next 10 years in Tasmania for Catholic schools is 4.3 per cent, for government schools is 3.9 per cent and for independents is 4.7 per cent. As to the school the member for Sydney referred to in Nowra East, the estimator website shows that, far from losing money, over the next 10 years it will receive an increase of $3.8 million.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the member for Sydney seeking to table a document?

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am, Mr Speaker.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Sydney.

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to table the document that shows the funding cut, because even the New South Wales government says your calculator is broken.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is leave granted? Leave is not granted.

Llew O'Brien (Wide Bay, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Small Business. Will the minister inform the House how the government's small business tax cuts will encourage a stronger small business sector, meaning more jobs for hardworking Australians and more opportunities to strengthen local communities across the country, including my electorate of Wide Bay? Are there any obstacles standing in the way?

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Wide Bay for his question; it is a good one. As the member for Wide Bay knows, there are 17½ thousand small businesses in his electorate, and this government backs each and every one of them each and every day.

Tuesday, 9 May was a great day for small business. It is the day we enshrined in law our tax cuts for small business, down to 27½ per cent, the lowest they have been for many, many decades. It is the day we enshrined in law the definition of a small business as having a $10 million turnover. Labor mistakes 'profit' for 'turnover'. It is turnover. This means that thousands more small businesses now pay less tax and can have access to the $20,000 instant asset write-off program—indeed, the 12-month extension. It is the day Wide Bay businesspeople such as Jason McPherson at CPM Engineering, David Phillips at Pedal Power Plus and Dave Hetherington from Goodyear Jewellers in Gympie—all of whom I met with the member in his electorate recently—knew this government had their back. It is also the day we delivered a budget boost for small businesses, with an extension to the popular instant asset write-off, because we know it helps them grow. It is the day we put $300 million on the table to incentivise states and territories to further cut through red tape. We have already cut $5.8 billion annually from the regulatory burden. Every day small businesses pay the wages of 5.6 million Australians, every day they provide opportunities to locals in communities across the country and every day this government stands by them, with them.

I was in Queensland last week as part of that state's Small Business Week. I heard across the state, as I heard in Gympie, that small business wants to grow. I heard firsthand from Queenslanders such as Kate Marland of Warners Fine Jewellery in Bundaberg, who used the instant asset write-off to purchase a computer and printer for her business. Kate's is a family enterprise and, thanks to the government's extension to the instant asset write-off, she is now looking to purchase a new drill, so that her dad—this is a true family enterprise—can more efficiently make the handmade jewellery for her shop to sell. Kate is just like Joy De Beer of Take Away Bins from Brisbane in the member for Bonner's electorate, who told me that our tax cuts 'saved' her business.

While we want a stronger small-business sector, there are some who do not—and I am looking at them. There they are! And 9 May also revealed what small business fears about those opposite: that, while we back small business, those opposite turn their backs on small business each and every day. Why do you hate small business? Why are you standing in the way? (Time expired)

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.