Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Regional Services) Share this | Hansard source

Small businesses are local job creators in rural and regional and remote Australia. Local economies will grow and regional jobs will be created because we want more cash to stay in the pockets of small family-owned businesses. That's more money these families can invest back into their business, keeping the cash flow local and being spent in our regional economies. We're investing $60 million in a wage subsidy trial to support employers in rural and regional communities to engage more apprentices in trades like plumbing, mechanical and electrical trades. We're doing more to support female entrepreneurs because when women do well their families do well, and our economy and nation prosper. We want small businesses to thrive, so we're cutting down the hours of paperwork and regulation by simplifying BAS. They can now submit online because we've done the heavy lifting with regional connectivity. We're creating the settings and practical initiatives to enable small regional businesses to grow and prosper.