Tracey Roberts (Pearce, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to take this opportunity to recognise and support small business in my electorate of Pearce. Small businesses are often referred to as the heart of our local economy. When you buy local, your dollar stays in your community and helps local development. For example, we all know that a restaurant buying ingredients from local producers or markets, using a local finance adviser and hiring a local interior or graphic designer builds cooperative relationships that help the whole local business community prosper.

Small businesses are an important part of our communities; they're a place to gather, they create work, they have a wonderful impact on community ambience and often offer full-time, part-time and job-share opportunities, apprenticeships and traineeships. Smaller businesses have the opportunity to manufacture and source locally, and they can be as diverse, unique or personal as they choose to be—and the intimacy of shopping with a small business cannot be understated.

After a very difficult 2½ years due to COVID-19, it is more important than ever to give small local businesses our support. I love to visit businesses in my electorate and will pop into any small shop I see along my travels, often purchasing different and unique items as gifts or as donations for door prizes, hampers or raffles to support my local community groups—a win-win solution.

I had the pleasure of attending the fabulous Wanneroo Business Association annual business awards last weekend, and I acknowledge the hardworking newly elected president, Mr Steve Windsor. This event gives local businesses in my electorate not only a chance of celebration and success but also allows businesses to benchmark their progress and to review their performance year after year.

I seek permission, Mr Speaker, to bring to my desk the work of a local business, Adarsh Australia. It reads, 'A future made here; that's Labor's vision for Australia.' Adarsh Australia won the 2022 business of the year award sponsored by Ertech Holdings and other local businesses. Adarsh Australia also won the 2022 Innovator of the Year Award.

I acknowledge Mr Faz Pollard, the owner of Adarsh Australia, who is the epitome of a small-business owner. He is community minded, thoughtful, intuitive and thorough. Faz's business, Adarsh Australia, is a parts manufacturer, fabricator and importer. But it pivoted to provide hospital-grade PPE for our doctors, nurses and clinicians when we needed it most during the pandemic, and still does so in the current climate. They set up their Landsdale office at the beginning of the pandemic to provide medical PPE and medical shields. It was all manual to begin with and then they got cobots and manufacturing lines to automate the processes. Six people work at Adarsh's Landsdale based medical office, headed up by lead engineer Lindsay Wood. A further 24 are based at the business headquarters in Malaga, Western Australia.

Adarsh Australia is one of the many incredible stories of local business forced to pivot during the pandemic, and pivot they most certainly did. I have known Faz since I was Mayor of the City of Wanneroo. I have observed this local business and I have seen it thrive under Faz's care and meticulous dedication. Faz even travelled from Perth to Canberra for my first speech here in parliament earlier this year, and I thank him for his energy, his enthusiasm and his commitment to local business.

I'm also going to acknowledge the other winners, as this is a great opportunity to showcase those within our community who often put everything on the line and into their local business to open their dream. Other winners of the Wanneroo Business Association awards were Elite Physio & Exercise for best business with 15 employee and over, and best business with over five and under 15 employees was Safe Central. There are a number of different businesses that deserve so much recognition and appreciation from us in our community. The Customer Service Excellence award went to Grace Insurance. The Business Technology award went to Redi Software. The Mayor's Business Leader award was sponsored by the City of Wanneroo, and the winner was Adam Burling from Safe Central.

I reiterate the absolute importance of our small businesses within our community. I thank them for all that they do in support of so many sporting groups and community groups, and I have to say that, without a doubt, we would be lost without them.