Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Small Business. I refer to the flood-hit town of Eugowra, which the Prime Minister visited this week, and the flood-hit town of Moama, in my electorate of Farrer. If a small business in Eugowra or Moama is rebuilding next year, will they be able to specifically access the Regional Small Business Support Program?

Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member opposite for her question. We are, of course, concerned about communities that have been impacted by floods. We know they have been doing it incredibly tough, which is why we did move as quickly as we could to make sure that assistance was available for those communities. Indeed, we're investing a billion dollars over five years to mitigate potential disasters and loss and damage through the government's new Disaster Ready Fund. We are concerned about it. We have also moved in each of the states that have recently had floods—in Tasmania, in Victoria and in New South Wales—to make small business grants available for those communities.

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister is 30 seconds into answering the question. Out of respect for the Deputy Leader of the Opposition's position, I'm allowing this point of order, but I want to have it stated clearly what the point of order is.

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point of order is on relevance, because I referred specifically to a program called the Regional Small Business Support Program—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Resume your seat. The minister is 40 seconds in.

Honourable members interjecting—

Order! I'd like to hear the minister in silence. The Deputy Leader was heard in silence. The minister is 40 seconds in. She's got three minutes to answer the question. I give her the call.

Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We have been moving to support small businesses. As I said in this place earlier in the week, we have also moved to make sure that those programs that were due to end at the end of this year, on 31 December, which those opposite didn't continue to fund, about mental health and wellbeing and of course the Small Business Debt Helpline, and were not continuing, we found more than $10 million in the last budget to make sure could continue. We're looking at all of the programs to make sure that we are supporting small businesses in every way possible to come out of the floods, and we'll continue to do so.