Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Could I move to the issue of the transaction value thresholds. From reading the explanatory memorandum, I understand that a survey was conducted which, over a period of months, talked to small businesses and collated data and information on what might constitute a threshold that would be useful for this bill in respect of the unfair contract terms that we are looking at. The value that the government has come up with is $100,000 within a year and $250,000 over a longer period of time. Can you confirm that that would cover 80 per cent of the businesses you surveyed and whether you feel that the other 20 per cent, who would still constitute small businesses, would unfairly miss out if we were to have in place a transaction value threshold that did not incorporate the majority of small businesses.? I refer you to the use of the word 'most' in paragraph 1.13 of the draft explanatory material, which stated:

The consultation process indicated the preferred transaction value threshold would encompass most small business transactions.