Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Sport) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Joyce for the question. It is great to see finally the Liberal Party or the National Party here asking a question on small business, actually coming to the Senate chamber and asking a question about policy, and I am very happy to answer it. Yesterday I outlined some of the work that Labor is doing on small business. The stimulus package was all about small business and all those tradesmen and tradeswomen, those jobs on those construction sites, all the multiplier effects to those other small businesses—the takeaway shops, the petrol stations, the supermarkets—and guess what: Senator Joyce voted against it. He voted against the stimulus package. Is it a surprise that the National Party voted against small business? No, it is not. Is it a surprise that every Liberal Party senator came in and voted against small business? No, it is not. This is the modern coalition. The coalition that used to be so committed to small business has walked away from small business. Not only did they oppose the stimulus package but also they have opposed tax cuts for small business. Let us just get this straight. The Liberal Party and the National Party oppose tax cuts for small business that will come out of the MRRT, the minerals resource rent tax, on 1 July this year.

If Senator Joyce has any commitment to small business, he will come into this chamber, he will support the minerals resource rent tax and he will provide a tax cut for small business; otherwise, anything he says on small business has no credibility whatsoever. The Liberal Party and the National Party have walked away from their traditional constituency. They have no idea anymore what it takes to run a small business. They have no idea what it takes in terms of cash flow. The accelerated depreciation allowance will provide assets for small businesses up to a $6,500 write-off. Guess what—the Liberals are voting against it. The Nationals are voting against it. This is the modern Liberal Party. (Time expired)