Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. Senator Bishop was quite rightly asking about the considerable range of very effective programs the Rudd Labor government has been putting in place to tackle decisively the world financial and economic crisis and to cushion the Australian economy against that crisis. Most of these programs have been opposed by those opposite in the Liberal-National Party. The Liberal-National Party do nothing, sit on their hands and wait and see; whilst this Rudd Labor government is taking decisive action. The specific question referred to the importance of small business in these times of financial and economic crisis around the world. We have put in place important measures to help small business during these difficult times. The Sensis business index for small and medium enterprises shows that small and medium business confidence has increased strongly in the last quarter and that net perceptions of the economy have improved for the first time since—(Time expired)