Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

() (): November is Shop Small month, an opportunity for people to show their support for their local small businesses. At the launch of Shop Small here in Parliament House, I challenged my fellow parliamentarians to show their support for Shop Small literally by wearing it, by coming into the House this week and making sure that they are wearing items of clothing that were either designed, made or at least bought locally. I am pleased that so far even in these 90-second statements we have seen the members for Durack, Solomon and Canberra stand in their places wearing proudly designed or made locally clothes—well done. Many, many others have too, this morning. I saw at Adam Bandt running down the corridor—he was late—wearing a Joe Black suit, Terri Butler is wearing SOOKii, Warren Snowdon last week was wearing a beautiful Norman Cox tie, Sharon Claydon was wearing High Tea with Mrs Woo, and we have seen Senator Janet Rice at Kuwaii in Brunswick with a lovely mattt/handmade bag and Gai Brodtmann wearing Zilpah tart. I am wearing local; in fact I am wearing four designers today. I am issuing the challenge to see how many local designers you can wear on one body at one time—I am up to four so the challenge is out. I am wearing a Wa-Nyika jacket, by a local African designer, and another item I am wearing is actually not local, it is Australian wool and it is from Cinnabar in Wagga—so I hope the member for Wagga has got his woollen material down here today as well. (Time expired)