Ron Boswell (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

No, Senator Brandis has not talked to me about this, as a matter of fact. I have done this through other people.

The Fair Trading Coalition represents around 30 small business organisations. Their convenor, Michael Delaney, who is also the head of the Motor Trader Association of Australia, said in a recent letter to the Prime Minister that he was:

... pleased to advise that the Fair Trading Coalition and MTAA support the proposals outlined in the draft statement to be issued by the Treasurer and the Minister for Small Business and that we look forward to the foreshadowed consultations by the government with small business organisations on the higher collective bargaining thresholds and the terms of the government’s final proposals in relation to Trade Practices Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2006.

I am committed to seeing that happens now and, if it does not happen, I am in big trouble. There have been commitments given to me which I am confident will be enacted in legislation. I assure Mr Delaney that I will be working closely with him and his fellow small business representatives to make sure the thresholds for his business members are set at the required level in regulation after the passage of this bill.