Jim Molan (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Senator Birmingham. Will the minister advise the Senate on the benefits of the Export Market Development Grants scheme for Australian businesses, in particular in my home state of New South Wales?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Molan for his question and his particular interest in seeing businesses across New South Wales seize the opportunities created by our Liberal and Nationals government to grow their export markets, to export their goods and services around the world to the many locations in which Australia and our government in particular has been able to negotiate preferential access for them. The EMDG scheme has assisted over 50,000 Australian small and medium sized exporters to get their goods to market. It's done so particularly under our government thanks to a funding boost to the scheme of some $60 million over five years. In the 2017-18 financial year, the scheme supported nearly 3,400 recipients of more than $115 million in grants. Importantly, these recipients reported export earnings in excess of $3.8 billion.

It's good investment in helping particularly small and medium sized businesses to seize the opportunities. Indeed, nearly 76 per cent of recipients were small exporters reporting an annual income of less than $5 million and having fewer than 20 employees. These are the businesses our government keeps backing time and time again. We're backing them with our tax relief for small businesses. We're backing them through our investment in increased market access and trade development support for those businesses. Indeed, in New South Wales around 1,400 businesses received an EMDG payment over the 2017-18 financial year, with funding of more than $52 million provided, and in particularly entrepreneurial electorates, if I can single one out, like Wentworth: 129 exporters received support; 129 predominantly small and medium sized businesses seized the opportunity of our Liberal and Nationals government to grow their export markets into the future. (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Molan, a supplementary question.

Jim Molan (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister advise the Senate of any success stories after businesses received an export market development grant?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, I can. I spoke before about Wentworth, and indeed there's a business there called Matchboard, which received its first EMDG grant in 2016. The founder, Sharon Melamed, said that after 20 years in senior sales roles she took a punt in recognising a niche in the market and building a business based on modern technology, redefining the ways companies, suppliers and clients find each other and providing a free online service using proprietary software to match buyers with suppliers in niche areas. She said:

With the funds from the EMDG, I've been able to secure a highly experienced UK-based General Manager Sales, and ramp up the marketing.

She also said:

Frankly, it's been a game changer. Matchboard is self-funded and without the EMDG, I'm not sure we could have afforded to take the leap internationally so fast.

She said that she expects 2018 to be the year the business booms and thanks the strong environment for business—all as a result of that.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Molan, a supplementary question.

Jim Molan (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. Are there any risks to the program in the future?

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Socialism!

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, indeed! Senator Marshall is correct: socialism from those opposite would be one risk that such businesses face, particularly with the plans of those opposite to see higher taxes applied in a whole range of ways on employers, on investments, on savings. They of course are a party for higher taxes. As Senator Cash rightly outlined in the Senate just before, you can't take Labor's word for it when they say they support small business tax cuts, because they have fought and opposed them every step of the way. In terms of the Export Market Development Grants scheme, the Labor Party, when in government, cut the appropriation from $200 million to $150 million and then again from $150 million down to $125 million. Our government invested back in to make sure we give support to small exporters to get ahead.