Maria Kovacic (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

On Monday this week Senator David Pocock, Allegra Spender, who's the member for Wentworth, and I hosted a breakfast in Parliament House for Australian small businesses and their peak organisations. There were over 150 attendees, and it was wonderful to speak with so many small businesses about the work they do as great innovators and employers.

One thing that was clear during these discussions is that small business in Australia is facing layer upon layer of challenges and that the Albanese Labor government is leaving them out in the cold. Not only are the government not offering support to small business; they are shackling them with increased regulatory burdens. The closing the loopholes bill is just the latest item in Labor's war on small business. It was described as 'a direct barrier to growth', and that is the same sentiment I kept on hearing from small businesses across Western Sydney during the sitting break. I was grateful to be joined by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Sussan Ley, as we heard about the burdens of the increased cost of rent, materials and energy and now an assault on their ability to hire casual staff. We spoke to countless business owners who can't even begin to comprehend how they are meant to cope with the imposition of all the red tape contained in a 280-page bill and an explanatory memorandum that is over 500 pages long.

We hear time and time again of big businesses making mistakes in payments and processes. That occurs in companies with legal departments and HR teams. Yet we expect small business to just absorb this, with more and more regulatory compliance. This government needs to realise what is happening in the real world and give small business the space to grow, to run their businesses and to keep employing Australians without unnecessary and costly interference.