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

Last week, I had the deputy opposition leader visit my electorate, and it was a great experience to be able to introduce her to a number of my businesses. We called in on Heidi and Pavo Walker from Walker Seafoods, who are one of the fishers of Fisher! They are at Mooloolaba and are the largest fresh caught tuna fishers in Australia. While talking with Heidi, she asked the deputy opposition leader this question: when did the government declare war on small business? While there's been no formal declaration of war against small business by this government, Heidi Walker, I think, exemplified the feelings of just about every small business in this country when she asked that question—when did the government declare war on small business? Small businesses around this country are bleeding. They are bleeding from the government red tape. They are bleeding from the cost of living. The cost of living does not just impact households; it impacts small-business people, particularly in relation to the energy prices, and the regulatory costs that small businesses are enduring, driving unprecedented numbers of them to the wall.