Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Regional Services, Senator McKenzie. Can the minister outline how a strong economy and responsible economic management will create jobs and other opportunities in regional Australia, especially for small businesses?

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

Thank you, Senator Duniam, for the question. Australia is a small business nation and our economy is strong, with growth rates that the OECD nations are jealous of, thanks to the hardworking small and family businesses right across our country. The Liberal-National government has a strong track record of backing small businesses, increasing jobs and building stronger regional economies.

It's not just our fishers, our foresters and our farmers operating small and family businesses out in regional Australia; regional tourism is making a significant contribution to the economy, in excess of $51 billion—and it is booming in your home state of Tasmania, Senator. In fact, Robert Knight, who runs the Bruny Island Long Weekend, has been expanding and developing his business and ensuring that he in turn supports other local businesses by procuring some fresh local Tassie produce. We're backing small businesses like the Bruny Island Long Weekend all the way by cutting the small business tax rate, changing competition law to level the playing field, extending the instant asset write-off, simplifying the BAS and cutting payment times.

We know that cashflow is key to small business and crucial to the day-to-day operations. Small businesses shouldn't be used as a bank by government or indeed by big business. That's why we've taken action to reduce those payment times, and now we're asking for big business to follow our lead. We are working with 3,000 of Australia's largest businesses with over $100 million turnover to develop a reporting framework to make sure that, when they buy from a small business, they pay in a timely manner. We've also created the $2 billion Australian Business Securitisation Fund, to enable greater access to finance for small family businesses on competitive terms when they need it. Small-business owners shouldn't have to put the family home on the line in order to gain access to finance. More than three million small businesses, including our agriculture, fishing, forestry and regional tour operators, are critical for a stronger economy.

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

Senator Duniam, a supplementary question.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's indeed good news for Tassie. How will the government's strong support for small business help to grow local economies and create more job opportunities in regional communities?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Regional Services) Share this | Link to 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.

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

Senator Duniam, a final supplementary question.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister tell the Senate why it's so important that the government continues to strongly back regional small businesses given the risks of alternative approaches?

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

Our farmers, fishers, regional tourism operators and local manufacturers are all key drivers of regional markets and the foundation of our local economy. Labor is no friend of regional small businesses. Labor see the small business sector as a threat to their union membership mates. They do not understand the importance or realities of small family-run businesses out in regional Australia. Instead of backing agriculture and our farmers, you want to shut down our live sheep exporters. Instead of backing our primary industries to export to the world, you want to damage our trade relationships. Instead of backing regional small businesses, you want to actually make it harder for them to employ locals. You stand for higher taxes and higher energy prices, and want to make it more onerous for small businesses to grow and prosper out across regional Australia. You constantly fail to back businesses. You fail to back the people you claim to represent—the labourers and tradies out in regional communities. It's small businesses that create jobs, not the unions or the Labor Party.