Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Small and Family Business, the Workplace and Deregulation. Will the minister update the House on how small businesses are responding to the government's enterprise tax plan? Did the practices of the past produce the same results, Minister?

Craig Laundy (Reid, Liberal Party, Minister for Small and Family Business, the Workplace and Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Fisher for his question. I note that while we have many barristers in this place—I would argue far too many—I don't think we have another barrister who is also a builder. I note the member for Fisher's background in the building industry. I thank him for his question and his passion for small and family business. There are some 3.3 million small and family businesses as we speak enjoying tax relief via our enterprise tax plan—437,000 of those are in Queensland. There has been a net increase in the number of small and family businesses in Queensland; 12,031 more have opened than there were last financial year. How does that compare to the last time the opposition were in power? In their last financial year there was a decrease of 14,178 small and family businesses, 10,000 of those in Queensland alone. In Longman there are 12,201 SMEs enjoying tax relief from the Enterprise Tax Plan. In the last financial year 532 new businesses have opened up in Longman alone. As Longman voters Daniel Carter and Tegan Austin told The Australian last week:

Running our own business, we find you can get to a certain mark before you are screwed over by the tax man.

I'm asked what is the threat. I mentioned yesterday the secret deal the Leader of the Opposition has done with John Setka, his great mate, and the CFMEU. I gave a helicopter view of John Setka's civil-rights-crusading 59 criminal offences. I thought it would be good to drill down to see the character of this civil rights activist and I found a few of his threatening and intimidation charges. The quotes in them are quite interesting. This is the guy the Leader of the Opposition has done a secret deal with—that we don't know what's in—and if he's elected this will be inflicted upon us Australia wide. He said, 'You just watch, I'll get you. I've got a 12-year-old son and I swear on his life, I swear on my son's life, you watch: I will fix you up.' To another worker, he was found guilty of saying, 'I'll quit my job and get you.' When asked if he was making a threat, Mr Setka replied, 'I'm not threatening. I promise you I will get you.' To a whole group of workers just trying to gain entry to a site, he said, 'You will die. You're gonna cop it. I'm gonna kill your family.'

This is the quality of the bloke, John Setka, that the Leader of the Opposition has done a secret deal with. We don't know what's in it. His own front bench doesn't know what's in it. We will have it inflicted upon us if he is elected at the next election. We cannot, for the sake of those small businesses, whether it be in Longman or anywhere else, allow that to happen.