Warren Entsch (Leichhardt, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business. Will the minister update the House on how the Morrison government is acting to strengthen Australian small and family businesses and to create jobs as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Leichhardt for his question and for his hard work in supporting 14,000 small and medium-sized businesses in his electorate. He's a man who knows how to operate small businesses, having proudly been involved in a crocodile farm in a former life. The member is indeed the 'King of the North' for the parochial and hardworking stand he takes in defending the north.

It's a pleasure to be able to address the House and update the House on not just the green shoots that are growing up in the north, because of the hard work of the member up there, but what happens when we stick to the national plan. We see tourists coming back into cafes in Cairns as well as consumption across the country. In fact, I was recently up in the member's electorate speaking to the member's small businesses and the message was consistent: stick to the national plan so that those down south can get up north. This government has stood shoulder to shoulder with small businesses across the country during the pandemic. And it's because we know collectively that small business is a big deal, and this side of the House wants to make small businesses bigger.

There are over 3½ million small and family businesses across our great country. They're over 99 per cent of total businesses and they employ almost half of all Australians. That is why the Morrison government has put in place the largest fiscal supports in history during this pandemic to get Australia's small businesses through: over $291 billion in direct economic support through key initiatives that impact small business; JobKeeper payments to support employers to retain their employees; boosting cash-flow measures; the small and medium enterprise guarantee scheme; the extension of the instant asset write-off; extended and accelerated income support; early release of super and tax support; and, of course, for small businesses we've reduced tax from 30 per cent to 25 per cent.

I'm pleased to report to the House and to the member for Leichhardt that the economic plan of the Morrison government is working. Jobs are roaring back, and there has never been a better time for Australians to get a job and for Australian small businesses to hire Australians. The internet vacancy index put out monthly by the National Skills Commission shows a 7.8 per cent increase last month in the number of jobs available. The IVI, the internet vacancy index, has a quarter of a million jobs—a 13-year high—and 2.64 million jobs have been advertised over the last 12 months. Australian small businesses know who's got their back, they know they have a choice and they know the Morrison government will stump for them every single time.