Craig Emerson (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Finance Minister on Deregulation) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Lindsay for his question and for the opportunity to join him a couple of weeks ago on ‘Pollies for Small Business Day’, where we visited Gloria Jean’s at St Marys. I reckon I made 100 cups of coffee in proper coffee cups. It was a great testament to the commitment of the member for Lindsay to his local small business community.

At 11 o’clock today the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry released its latest small business survey. It shows that small business conditions have reached their highest level since November 2008. In fact, the expected future economic performance is reported to have ‘surged’—and that is the word that is used in that survey. These survey results build on other recent surveys showing a rebound in business and consumer confidence. The encouraging boost in small business confidence is due, at least in part, to the government’s economic stimulus package and its positive effects on jobs and the economy.

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