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. Last night, Labor was dragged kicking and screaming into doing the bare minimum on the instant asset write-off.

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Order! Members on my right! I just said to members on my left that people shouldn't interject during questions before a minister speaks. I'm going to ask for assistance from the House so the deputy leader can ask her question again and be heard in silence.

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

They were shamed into passing legislation to extend it to the end of this financial year. But there is still no money budgeted for its extension for next financial year. Will Labor support coalition efforts to make the instant asset write-off permanent, including by lifting the amount small businesses can depreciate to $30,000?

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

I do thank the member opposite for that question. I was pleased to finally see their support for the instant asset write-off to get through the parliament last night. After eight months they finally got there, can I say. But this is not the only time, of course, they have delayed us trying to introduce the instant asset write-off. This is actually the third time in a row they've tried to delay this legislation getting through the parliament, and it's because they know that we have been supporting small businesses with targeted support for our term. Indeed, there has been over $2 billion worth of targeted support for small businesses since we have come to office, some of which you have voted against. You've delayed the instant asset write-off. You've voted against the direct energy bill relief. And, of course, those opposite are now saying that they want to go to the election with higher taxes for small-business owners and workers. Australia's 1.5 million sole traders will be pleased to know that those opposite want them to pay higher income taxes.

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

The minister will pause. The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order.

Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, the question was very tight. On relevance: the question to the Minister for Small Business was whether she could guarantee to small businesses that the instant asset write-off would be extended for future income years, because those small businesses are making decisions today about whether they make those investments. The small business minister should respond to that aspect of the question, which is at the heart of it.

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

I appreciate that the manager would like her to address that part of the question. Maybe it would make his life easier and it would make my life easier, but that's not the rules. The rules are that she's got to be directly relevant to the whole question, not just one part. You can't pick and choose; it's all or nothing. It's all in the standing orders. So she's being directly relevant. She's giving the reasons, as she was asked about a decision why or why not.

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

It's no wonder that they don't want me to continue to talk about how they want higher taxes for small business sole traders—1.5 million of them. There are 1.5 million small business owners, sole traders, who are getting a tax cut because of our government, a tax cut that you want to take off them. You want to go to the next election with higher taxes for those sole traders. We have been very clear as a government that we want to support small businesses in a targeted way, and that is exactly what we have been doing in our time of government, with more than $2 billion of targeted support, including the instant asset write-off for the last three years. The Treasurer and the Prime Minister have been very clear that when that legislation goes through we will be considering what other measures we will take to support small businesses.

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

There was one point of order taken on relevance. This is a good lesson for everyone. In future, that's fine; there will be only one point of order on relevance, then. No-one will get up and take a second point of order.