Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Competition and Consumer Amendment (Fair Go for Consumers and Small Business) Bill 2024. As my colleagues have indicated, including Senator Liddle, we will be supporting the bill, with some amendments. In short, this bill introduces a single scheduled amendment to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, enabling the minister to designate entities as designated complainants, allowing them to escalate complaints to the ACCC and receive a response within 90 days. Naturally, the coalition will be closely watching to see who the minister approves. This must not be used as another chance for the government to simply appoint and reward Labor Party friends or union paymasters. I note, in the designated complaints consultation phase of the bill, that the National Farmers Federation made a submission. In part, the NFF said:

The NFF supports the introduction of a clear complaints mechanism that enables designated small business advocates to submit a complaint to the ACCC where they have evidence of a significant or systemic market issue that affects consumers or small businesses in Australia.

They go on to say:

The proposed scheme contains positive elements that should encourage greater use of the designated complaints process.

The Farmers Federation also supports the proposed transparency and reporting requirements of the proposed scheme. We've got to get the basics right though.

Consumer and small-business advocates have also emphasised the necessity of a consumer complaints framework. I'm glad to see this government is finally listening to the small-business community. It has taken them a while. They need to listen a lot more, but it's good to see that they're at least showing some willingness to listen.

Up until now, all the government has done is show a deaf ear when it comes to listening to the concerns of small businesses. We saw that on full display with the latest industrial relations changes and reforms. It is evident right throughout their leadership of the economy since being elected that they are not giving due consideration to small businesses. As I said, this was most evident in Labor's new industrial relations laws, which will see trade unions having unfettered access to small businesses, a space that many small businesses, certainly those that have only been in business for the last couple of decades or so, have not seen. If you were in business in the seventies, or you saw it, and you're still around in business, you're seeing what was very strong and evident back then now return here in the business landscape across Australia.

When I visit small businesses, which I try to do as often as I can when I'm back, not here in this place—we get on the ground where the real people are—we see that these businesses are doing it tough. Whether it's getting access to reliable supply chains, getting access to staff or the willingness of people turning up to work or finding people with the skills that are necessary to do the jobs, small businesses are finding it incredibly tough. They are. We're seeing that this government is tying them up time and time again in red tape and overburdensome compliance, and it's demonstrating that it's not really in touch with small businesses' needs. So, when we come back to this debate, I look forward to raising these issues further and ensuring that we have a proper debate.

Debate interrupted.